June 2019

SOUTHEAST ASIA

JUNE 2019

BORACAY IS BACK

A REST IN RURAL JAPAN

THREE NEW STOPS IN VIETNAM

TWO-WHEELING CAMBODIA

SINGAPORE S$7.90 / HONG KONG HK$43 THAILAND THB175 / INDONESIA IDR50,000 MALAYSIA MYR18 / VIETNAM VND85,000 MACAU MOP44 / PHILIPPINES PHP240 BURMA MMK35 / CAMBODIA KHR22,000 BRUNEI BND7.90 / LAOS LAK52,000

Thrills don’t stop in Riau Islands

Stretching from east of Sumatra, past Singapore and northeast into the South China Sea towards Borneo, the Riau Islands are a sprawling Indonesian province full of natural beauty just waiting to be enjoyed. Sail, ferry or fly into this lovely archipelago for one of the many exciting annual events being hosted in Anambas, Bintan and Batam this month.

ADVERTORIAL

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SAIL ANAMBAS TO NATUNA

Between Borneo and the Bay of Malaysia lie the Anambas and the Natuna Islands, facing the open sea and offering fantastic blue and green panoramas.

The Anambas are globally recognized for some of the most amazing dive spots, with colorful underwater life, and rows of coconut trees protecting soft whitesand beaches. Join the international regattas that begin in New Zealand, enter Indonesia through North Maluku Regency, and stop at these northerly archipelagos. You’ll be entertained with regional art performances while dining, enjoy diving and snorkeling at Penjalin Island, tour Tarempa City, and be introduced to the Anambas’ cuisine and handicrafts. Nantua, June 6–12.

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JAZZ ON THE BEACH

Pristine Lagoi Beach stretches for 3.5 kilometers in the heart of Bintan Resorts. To draw fresh faces, bring culture and creativity to the island, and up the luxury quotient, a jazz festival is held on exclusive Lagoi Beach. Listen to international artists play timeless music in this perfect setting. And, while you’re here, how about some adventure? Jet-ski, kayak and snorkel, play volleyball or build sandcastles. With baggage-drop facilities, showers and changing rooms,

your visit is hassle-free. The soundtrack of dulcet jazz over ocean waves is sure to inspire. Bintan, June 22–23.

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SSG INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

Overlooking a picturesque bay north of Batam, Tering Bay Golf & Country Club is a coveted destination for lovers of the links. Crafted by Greg Norman, the challenging par 72 course rolls across 167 hectares of undulating hills and lush tropical greenery, dotted by pristine lakes—which provide centerpieces for many of the holes, rewarding challenges for intrepid, talented golfers. Pack your clubs for this three-round international competition, which is organized by the Society of Singapore Golfers and included in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

Batam, June 30–July 3.

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NONGSA CHALLENGE

Cycling can be leisurely or athletic, challenging or meditative. It can also be a thrilling way to see lush Nongsa, with its eye-catching waterways and wonderful culture. Join this annual 182-kilometer race, which has 175 meters of climbing per 12 kilometer loop and is divided into four competitive categories. Your ferry ride from Singapore includes transport for your bike, so gather your team of road warriors and let’s hit the pavement!

Batam, June 30–July 3.

For more information, please visit : www.indonesia.travel

Whether you are an avid sailor who delights in the expansiveness of the open seas, a jazz aficionado excited to enjoy mood music on one of Indonesia’s most beloved beaches, a talented golfer looking for a challenge on a world-renowned course amid an amazing setting, or a cycler wanting to go for a spin with other likeminded athletes on a picturesque isle, the Riau Islands have an event for you. Come for the occasion; stay for the adventure and beauty above and below the water.

FAREWELL BANGKOK

JOSÉ CARRERAS WEDNESDAY 23 OCTOBER 2019 (7.30pm) THAILAND CULTURAL CENTRE

ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY

Tickets at Baht 12,000 / 9,000 FOR THE BEST SEATS PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE +662-2042370 Ext.101, +662-2042392 or email: sittikun@bangkokfestivals.com

Supported by the Embassy of Ireland

DAVID GIMÉNEZ GLOBALLY ACCLAIMED CONDUCTOR

CELINE BYRNE WORLD RENOWNED SOPRANO

June

CONTENTS

features

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Return to Paradise Boracay is back, cleaner and greener than ever. Stephanie Zubiri returns to see if this Philippine island can preserve its soul along with its shores.

Photographed by Francisco Guerrero

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76 66 C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: L E I G H G R I F F I T H S ; F R A N C I S C O G U E R R E R O ; R I N N E A L L E N ; A M B R O I S E T É Z E N A S

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Three for the History Books New resorts in remote places show off Vietnam’s diverse natural beauty while always keeping sight of its layered history and culture. By Eloise Basuki. Photographed

by Leigh Griffiths

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In Their Own Time A new generation of oddball entrepreneurs in France aims to keep Languedoc’s eccentric spirit alive. By Joshua Levine. Photographed

by Ambroise Tézenas

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Southern Pride, Southern Promise On a road trip, Kevin West finds Alabama’s residents reckoning with its legacy and defining what it means to be Alabaman.

Photographed by Rinne Allen

ON THE COVER

Catching golden-hour rays at Sirena, in Shangri-La’s Boracay Resort and Spa. Photographed by Francisco Guerrero

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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CONTENTS IN EVERY ISSUE

T+L Digital 8 Contributors 10 The Conversation 11 Editor’s Note 12 Deals 62 Wish You Were Here 106

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Reasons To Travel Now A cool sunset spot in Nusa Lembongan; a sleek boutique for Siem Reap; and Hong Kong’s latest hub.

38 Where the Wild Meets High

A House for All Seasons A new address in Japan stirs creativity with sustainable design and a dose of daily calm.

40 Getting Hip to Anchorage

Style Pair your big-game safari sightings with a side of serious luxury at camps in Botswana.

42 A Taste of the Baltics Forwardthinking chefs and food producers in Lithuania are turning their attention back home—with delicious results.

30 Welcome to Chinoy-town

Discover the fascinating blended cultural identity of the FilipinoChinese on a walking tour of Manila’s Chinatown.

Upgrade 57 Mile High Club Here’s how to fly in ultimate style: Private-jet tours are taking well-heeled travelers for the most luxurious cross-cultural exchanges.

46 A New Day for Dominica After

36 By the Water’s Edge Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River has a flash new mall in a suburb with a long history of Sino-Siamese culture.

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bring home some of the French capital’s legendary chic. From the venerable grands magasins and flea markets to the newest purveyors of street style, our experts will lead you to that essential outfit or objet you won’t find anywhere else.

Alaska’s largest city has developed a character unlike any other: down-to-earth, welcoming and ardently committed to embracing its untamed side.

26 Khmer Connection Cambodia’s smoother roads inspire this intrepid trip around Banlung, in the charming northeast.

Guide 50 Shopping in Paris It’s time to

JUNE 2019 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

the devastation of Hurricane Maria, this Caribbean island is in recovery mode thanks to community-minded hotels.

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F R O M L E F T: C E D R I C A R N O L D ; C E L I N E C L A N E T; N O E D E W I T T; T O M F O W L K S

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The Most Luxurious Hideaway with a Breathtaking View

Silavadee embraces a natural elegance that comes with a stunning scenery.

Located on Laem Nan beach, the most beauteous, exclusive beach on Samui island.

Tucked away from the busy world yet only a short drive from it all. The perfect combination of the magnificent land-sea and skyscape with our renowned, high level of personal services. And that is what makes Silavadee special.

www.silavadeeresort.com

T+ L D I G I TA L

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LOOKOUT

MAKE AN ECO-STOP IN THE MERGUI Largely uninhabited and absurdly beautiful, these untouched islands off the southern coast of Burma have new hotels with a green focus.

AUSTRALIA’S SECRET SHORELINES With more than 60,000 kilometers of coast, Australia has plenty of beaches to explore where you won’t have to share the sand.

KUALA LUMPUR’S NEW ER A In the wake of political change, the Malaysian capital is also experiencing an uptick in exceptional dining and high-end stays.

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JUNE 2019 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

TLEDITOR@ MEDIATRANSASIA.COM

travelandleisureasia.com

F R O M L E F T: S C O T T A . W O O D WA R D ; C O U R T E S Y O F H A L C Y O N H O U S E ; L E I G H G R I F F T H S

THIS MONTH ON TR AVEL ANDLEISUREASIA.COM

These Philippinedesigned products are what you need for your next beach getaway; this beach resort in China is a lesson in luxury; Hong Kong’s fine-dining vegetarian scene offers food for thought; the latest travel deals and much more.

CONTRIBUTORS

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Nate Clark

Leigh Griffiths

“Khmer Connection” Page 26 — “I’ve been to Cambodia seven times in the last 10 years,” says the journalist, based in Pai, Thailand. “The last trip was solo, on my motorbike.

While looking for a place to tune up, I met a paraplegic man who’s turned his repair shop into a mechanic’s school for underprivileged youth.

His selflessness humbled me. The best meal was a delicious pork noodle soup I had roadside with an elderly man who insisted I watch muay Thai fights with him and hold his infant grandson on my lap. Motorcycle road trips give time to think and get to know myself. Riding is like a meditation for me.”

Instagram: @nateclarkstreet.

“Three for the History Books” Page 76 — “Despite it being the least beautiful time of year in Sapa, the mountaintop views were incredible,” says Griffiths, who traversed Vietnam. “Quy Nhon felt like an escape—no other tourists in sight. I loved the Vietnamese martial arts master at Anantara, which shined. In Con Dao, hearing the horrible history of the prisons was hard. Contrasting that to the beautiful island and its happy people made for a very humbling experience.

The assistant manager at Poulo Condor recommended we visit her family’s blue-crab noodle soup shop in town. I will be back one day for more.”

Instagram: @leighgriffithslens.

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Stephanie Zubiri

Francisco Guerrero

“Return to Paradise” Page 66 — “I’ve been going to Boracay regularly since the 1990s,” says the Manila native who was impressed by many of the eco changes on the island, including “no smoking and drinking on the beach. While I’ll miss noisy sundowners by the shore, I saw how bad the environment got, covered in litter. I love the quiet of the electric trikes and the ban on of daybeds and crazy parties on White Beach. You can actually see the sand again.

Spend all day lounging by the sea, only leaving for lunch at Crust at The Lind and dinner at Mosaic. Find time for Chi Spa and check out if there’s a party at Lazy Dog at night.”

Instagram: @stephaniezubiri.

“Return to Paradise” Page 66 — “The most significant change to Boracay upon its reopening is the silence. We Filipinos love music, and that’s a great thing, but there came a point where every restaurant and bar had taken over the sand and was blasting music all day. Now that the scene has been pushed back away from the tree line, things are much quieter and more relaxing.

Now, once again, nothing beats White Beach at sunset,” says the Manila-based photographer, who also suggests going farther off the beaten track to the Linapacan Islands in Palawan. “The place is what all Philippine beaches were 30 years ago.”

Instagram: @studioguerrero.

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W R I T ER

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P H O TO G R A P H ER

P H O TO G R A P H ER

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F N AT E C L A R K ; C O U R T E S Y O F L E I G H G R I F F I T H S ; C O U R T E S Y O F S T E P H A N I E Z U B I R I ; C O U R T E S Y O F F R A N C I S C O G U E R R E R O

W R I T ER A ND P H O TO G R A P H ER

T H E C O N V E R S AT I O N

One of the most difficult parts of visiting a new place is often the simplest: talking. Basic requests can turn into ridiculous games of charades; the act of buying a train ticket can feel like trying to solve an algebraic equation written by Rain Man. Of course, the tech world has been homing in on this problem for years now, and a handful of translation devices are now refined enough to be actually useful. As charming as communication via hand gestures can be, here is some of the new technology we’re excited about to get the conversation really flowing.

IFLYTEK 2.0 SMART ELECTRONIC VOICE LANGUAGE TRANSLATOR

This one is for Chinese travelers or visitors to the country; the device directly translates 51 languages into Mandarin, Cantonese and other Chinese dialects, and vice versa. The real bonus—it can do it offline, too. iflytek.com; from US$428.

GOOGLE TRANSLATE & PIXEL

The Internet giant’s free camera translation software has saved us when it comes to menus and signs, but their Pixel Buds earphones go further— interpreting your speech into 40 different languages and connecting to any Android phone as a speaker. store.google.com; from US$159.

WAVERLY LAB’S AMBASSADOR

POCKETALK

Famous for its Pilot translation earbuds, the yet-to-be-released Ambassador wireless over-ear device will up the quality and allows multiple devices to connect together, so groups can talk in different languages in real time. waverlylabs. com; price not listed at time of print.

This palm-sized machine can translate 74 languages and adapts to each user, learning their pronunciation to make translations more accurate. pocketalk.net; from US$249.

#TLASIA

Painted pillars at Jaipur’s ethereal Patrika Gate.

By @suitcaseandi.

IT TAKES A SPECIAL EYE TO STAND OUT WHILE BLENDING IN. HERE ARE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE PORTRAITS WITH SHOW-STOPPING BACKDROPS.

Following the Pink Panther’s trail to Shanghai.

By @chubbychinesegirleats.

Colorful culture queens in Singapore’s Little India.

By @miraslaval.

Kuala Lumpur’s history can be found on the walls.

By @dalasava.

SHARE AN INSTAGRAM PHOTO BY USING THE #TLASIA HASHTAG, AND IT MAY BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING ISSUE. FOLLOW @TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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EDITOR’S NOTE

Valencia’s tranquil silk exchange, La Lonja.

@CKucway chrisk@mediatransasia.com

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J U N E 2 0 1 9 / T R AV E L A N D L E I S U R E A S I A . C O M

FROM MY TRAVELS If there’s a room that’s grabbed my attention of late and not let go, it’s the Transactions Hall at La Lonja in Valencia. Having made an all-too-brief stop there years ago, I knew I would return on a visit to Spain’s third city. I knew the light early on a cloudy day would be perfect.

I knew the orange trees outside the soaring windows would be weighed down with fruit. And I knew the eight stone columns spiraling to the vaulted ceiling would still astonish me.

F R O M L E F T: I R FA N S A M A R T D E E ; C H R I S T O P H E R K U C WAY

AVE YOU EVER BOOKED into a hotel room and realized, almost immediately, that you do not want to leave? Even if travel is meant to remove us from our comfort zones, or surprise us in ways we never imagined, some guestrooms simply hit every button. The same holds true with other spaces. Instead of a hotel room, you might turn a city corner on a first-time visit or veer down a dirt path to an undiscovered beach, and the scene will steal away all your expectations.

This month, features editor Eloise Basuki ventures around alwayspopular Vietnam to uncover a trio of such spots (“Three for the History Books,” page 76). In Quy Nhon, she falls under the spell of her villa, no doubt lured by a personal wine cellar and her own pool, but come lunch, convinces Anantara’s executive chef to teach her how to make banh xeo, the savory crepes known to central Vietnam. Two other stops on the map, Sapa and Con Dao, offer up similar memories of a place that stops you in your tracks, so do read the piece.

I had my own such moment in Japan (“A House for All Seasons,” page 21), when I stayed at an out-of-the-way inn, one that marries an architecturally marvelous indoors with the outside surroundings. In that moment when everything aligned as the architect intended, I really did not want to leave.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF ART DIRECTOR DEPUT Y EDITOR FEATURES EDITOR SENIOR DESIGNER DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR

Christopher Kucway Wannapha Nawayon Jeninne Lee-St. John Eloise Basuki Chotika Sopitarchasak Veronica Inveen

REGUL AR CONTRIBUTORS / PHOTOGR APHERS Cedric Arnold, Kit Yeng Chan, Marco Ferrarese, Duncan Forgan, Jenny Hewett, Lauryn Ishak, Grace Ma, Morgan Ommer, Aaron Joel Santos, Scott A. Woodward, Stephanie Zubiri CHAIRMAN PRESIDENT PUBLISHING DIRECTOR PUBLISHER DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER TRAFFIC MANAGER / DEPUTY DIGITAL MEDIA MANAGER SALES DIRECTOR SINGAPORE, MAL AYSIA SALES DIRECTOR HONG KONG, MACAU, INDONESIA, PHILIPPINES REGIONAL MANAGER THAIL AND, VIETNAM, CAMBODIA, BURMA, MALDIVES CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER PRODUCTION MANAGER CIRCUL ATION AS SISTANT

J.S. Uberoi Egasith Chotpakditrakul Rasina Uberoi-Bajaj Robert Fernhout Pichayanee Kitsanayothin Varin Kongmeng Kin Kamarulzaman Leigha Proctor Paul Adams Gaurav Kumar Nuttha Tangpetch Yupadee Saebea

TR AVEL+LEISURE (USA) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, NEWS, LUXURY, ST YLE

Jacqueline Gifford Meredith Long

MEREDITH PARTNERSHIPS, LICENSING & SYNDICATION (syndication@meredith.com) BUSINES S AFFAIRS DIRECTOR DIRECTOR, LICENSING OPER ATIONS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR E XECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONTENT MANAGEMENT

Tom Rowland Richard Schexnider Jack Livings Paul Ordonez

MEREDITH CHAIRMAN AND CEO PRESIDENT AND COO CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER E XECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS

Steve Lacy Tom Harty Alan Murray Brad Elders, Lauren Ezrol Klein

TR AVEL+LEISURE SOUTHEAST ASIA VOL. 13, ISSUE 6 Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia is published monthly by Media Transasia Limited, 1603, 16/F, Island Place Tower, 510 King’s Road, North Point, Hong Kong.

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WORLD PREMIER IN BANGKOK

GRAND NEW PRODUCTION STARRING CHINA’S NATIONAL TREASURE LI

YUGANG

by LI YUGANG 5 & 6 October 2019 (7.30 pm) INTERNATIONAL AWARDS & HONORS 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014

National Art Lifetime Achievement Award Outstanding Asian Artist Award Lotus, the 11th Top Ten Best Album Award Gold Song Award/ Best Lyrics Award Most Influential Art Performer Award

Tickets at Baht 4,500 / 3,500 FOR THE BEST SEATS PURCHASE TICKETS IN ADVANCE +662-2042370 Ext.101, +662-2042392 or email: sittikun@bangkokfestivals.com

THAILAND CULTURAL CENTRE Free shuttle from MRT station (Thailand Cultural Centre) Exit 1, during 5.30 - 7.00 pm

REASONS TRAVEL NOW JUNE 2019

TO

T+L’s monthly selection of trip-worthy places, experiences and events.

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C O U R T E S Y O F O H A N A’ S

A chic new beach bar and boutique hotel on rustic Nusa Lembongan is making waves with surfers.

Sundowners and snacks at Ohana’s.

The first beach lounge of its caliber on Bali’s sister island of Nusa Lembongan, Ohana’s brings an unprecedented air of cool to one of Indonesia’s most laidback ocean escapes. >>

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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R E A S O N S T O T R AV E L N O W

Soak in the laidback vibe from the beach or the pool.

Set in the heart of the main village, in front of world-class surf breaks Razors and Shipwrecks, Ohana’s is an unassuming oasis that’s in harmony with its relaxed locale. While they host acoustic sessions and DJs every Sunday and Friday, Ohana’s is still on island tempo. “Nusa Lembongan benefits from its small size, which restricts the traffic and development and creates a unique mix of being rustic, while still not being entirely off-thegrid,” he says. Libations, however, are refreshingly urbane: red-ginger margaritas, coconut and pineapple martinis, and a range of high-end gins and whiskies. ohanas.co; mains from Rp110,000; doubles from Rp2,590,000. — JENNY HEWET T

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Cocktails use high-end spirits.

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This art hotel brings a curated aesthetic to Cambodia’s culture capital.

Siem Reap has long been a symbol of ancient Khmer design, but new arrival to the city Treeline Urban Resort (treelinehotels.com; doubles from US$175) offers guests a luxury portal into modern Cambodian art.

Founded by Hok Kang of Phnom Penh–based architects HKA & Partners, the 48-key, artisan-focused property features more than 50 original pieces by acclaimed local creators. Copper and hemp wall hangings by emerging artist Thang Sothea embellish rooms, while bamboo and rattan structures by sculptor Sopheap Pic stand out in the lobby. As well as four dining areas and a rooftop infinity pool, the riverside boutique houses a public open-air gallery, and you can catch their retrospective on prolific Cambodian architect Vann Molyvann until June 30. – ELOISE BASUKI

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JUNE 2019 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

F R O M TO P : C O U R T E S Y O F O H A N A’ S ( 2 ) ; C O U R T E S Y O F T R E E L I N E U R B A N R E S O R T

Reached via fast boat from Bali’s southeast coast, Nusa Lembongan has just opened up to tourism, but the surf island is quickly becoming a low-key alternative to buzzy Bali.

With a stunning seafront location and infinity pool, white-linen cabanas, a modern menu and private pool villas, Ohana’s has an unpretentious vibe that feels more like your backyard than a club.

“We noticed a big gap in the market,” says Australian-born Mitchell Ansiewicz, owner and managing director of Ohana’s, who moved here with his wife, Ashleigh, last year after more than a decade spent traveling to Bali from the Gold Coast. “Couples, families and surfers were looking for somewhere a bit more luxury... and people were wanting something more than a local warung to eat at,” he says.

“The concept is modern Australian, though we’ve also incorporated many of our favorite Indonesian dishes and love using the local seafood,” Ansiewicz says.

Crowd-pleasers so far include chicken and shiitake lettuce cups; coconut-crumbed king prawns; and the 300-gram Australian Black Angus steak served with chimichurri and kimchi.

Sanctuary for the Senses

Acquaint yourself with the fascinating culture, rich heritage and traditions of spiritual Bali at one of The 58 Most Luxurious Hotel in The World by Forbes Travel Guide. Poised majestically on a cliff top near the Uluwatu temple, the 71 exclusive all-pool villa resort is an exemplary illustration of the distinctive Banyan Tree experience and famed Balinese hospitality.

From its lofty perch on Bali’s southernmost cliff, Ju-Ma-Na presents fine dining with a dramatic view. Delicious seafood artfully prepared by talented chefs will take your taste buds on a culinary journey. Indulge in signature dishes steeped in Indonesia’s rich culinary traditions and international favorites at Bambu and variety of Nouvelle Balinese cuisine at Tamarind Restaurant.

R E A S O N S T O T R AV E L N O W

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A revitalized cotton mill in Hong Kong turns textiles into tech-styles.

Straddling the border of Kowloon and the New Territories, Tsuen Wan may be beyond the main thrust of most tourist sites, but new arts and heritage project The Mills (themills. com.hk) has transformed the neighborhood’s old textile factories into a center of boutique shops, dining spots and exhibition spaces worth a detour. The project gives a platform to Hong Kong brands that connect with the energy of the city: concrete home wares from Shabibi Sheep Workshop (shabibisheep workshop.com) converts the materials of clinical urbanization into art, and celebrated local businesses like burger diner Honbo (facebook.com/honbo.hk) and premium roaster Coco Espresso (cocobarista.com) have new outposts.

The Mills doesn’t forget where it came from, either, which, in Hong Kong, where the habit is to erase the past to build the future, is utterly refreshing. While innovation and tech-startups are at the forefront of the project, the precinct pays tribute to the textile industries that laid the foundations for the fashion economies and technologies of today: staircases with peeling paint, once used daily by cotton mill workers, have been preserved; commissioned wall murals from six Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation artists present impressions of the past; and original signage brings memories to life. The stops listed here make for an illuminating afternoon—though if you’re an art aficionado or history buff, perhaps set aside a little more time to take in the details and visit all the exhibitions, which change each quarter. — REBECCA CAIRNS

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Hyper-personalized watchmaker EONIQ uses mechanical movements and individual signatures to make customized watches. eoniq.co.

Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textiles (CHAT) has a rotation of exhibitions, focusing on both heritage objects and contemporary Asian artwork. Its programs include interactive “co-learning” workshops, performances and talks. mill6chat.org.

Alt: A New Cycle uses an innovative garment recycling system that weaves new clothes out of old pieces in just four hours.

GF, 5–7; themills. com.hk.

JUNE 2019 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

Like its sister bar in Mongkok, The Ale Project offers some of Hong Kong’s finest beer brands on tap including Young Master and Heroes Beer Co. fb.com/thealeproject.

Koko Coffee Roasters is a new outpost from much loved local brand Coco Espresso. Beans are sent directly from farms around the world and roasted on site. fb.com/ kokoroasters.

C O U RT ESY O F T H E M I L LS ( 5 )

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DESIGN

A House for All Seasons

On the way to Nagano and far from the metropolis that is Tokyo, there’s a new address that’s meant to stir your creative juices. At the very least, it will calm your day. STORY AND PHOTOGR APHS BY CHRISTOPHER KUCWAY

The welcoming Library at Shishi-Iwa House.

TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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DESIGN

FROM LEFT: Architect

Shuntaro Sano, who oversaw the project; the outdoor deck awaits springtime.

THERE ARE FEW THINGS more Japanese than a long, hot soak in a bath, especially one with a forest view. Entering my modest guestroom at Shishi-Iwa House, that became my immediate goal on a two-day stay. The snaking, 10-room design gem about 80 minutes by Shinkansen from Tokyo Station is a place full of unforgettable angles— on a blueprint, there are 38 grid lines along the length of the house—and that view of a forest just starting to bud its way into the Japanese spring was one. It’s a long way from Ginza.

My room was compact by most standards, and while I had arrived armed with the idea of not spending too much time there—I would make an exception for the bath—the intriguing wood design more than overcomes any space limitations.

Shishi-Iwa has three sections of

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three or four guest rooms, and I was staying in one of two rooms a floor above a common area with a compact kitchen and living room.

From here, there is access to the curvilinear exterior of the building aside a small forest, and in the opposing direction to an area accessible from every part of the house. It’s this sweep of a room where guests are expected to mingle around the fireplace or the one-piece wood table, facing retractable glass walls with views out to a small Japanese forest.

Yet, these are merely the nuts and bolts, and tell little of the thought that has gone into Shishi-Iwa House’s design by innovative architect Shigeru Ban. FIVE YEARS AGO, Huy Hoang—a well-traveled investment banker by

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day, a bookish art and food junkie by night—came up with the idea of an architectural retreat in Japan. In his mind’s eye, he had the art and hospitality ideals down, but needed someone strong on the development side of things. Enter engineering partner Philip Wang. Together, their plan was to involve someone who could bring a strong design element to their idea; a blueprint for something rarely seen before. With a Pritzker Prize under his belt and bringing Japanese sensibility to the project, Shigeru Ban took on the overall design.

Wait, stop right there. Before you get the wrong idea, Shishi-Iwa is not a ryokan, in fact, it’s not meant to be Japanese at all aside from the fact that it is located in the country. Nor is it meant to be a hotel in the usual sense of the word. More than half of

FROM TOP: Rooms

dwell on simplicity and comfort; as a whole, the house is meant to blend into the landscape; yes, the Hinoki wooden bath.

its space consists of public areas for guests to mingle, explains Hoang, which is definitely not something that any hotel moneyman who, guided solely in terms of revenue per available room, would ever consider.

Instead, the idea is for guests to experience a house created by a top architect, an address available to everyone; high design, yes, but also relatable. And it’s not a template for other projects even though, Hoang hints, there are some in the works.

Instead, the design intends to have a soothing effect, one meant to inspire creativity. Simplicity is key but everything is in place for a reason.

The linens and amenities are chosen both because they fit the narrative and they’re some of the best from around the world. Says Hoang: “You have to design something that is iconic, something that is truly you.”

Looking back, Grant Suzuki, the director at Shigeru Ban Architects who oversaw the project, smiles when he thinks of the blank-slate beginnings, a job without a site, one lacking in any plans—definitely not a corporate undertaking. Nearing the end of 2015, with two options, Ban recommended this location over one deeper in the mountains outside the resort town of Karuizawa. Now that all is said and done, slightly offputting is that the front door pretty much spills out onto a two-lane road.

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DESIGN

THE CONNECT BETWEEN INDOOR AND OUT, THAT FLEXIBLE USE OF SPACE, IS VERY MUCH A JAPANESE IDEAL

FROM TOP: Comfort in cardboard tubes, a chair by Shigeru Ban; nearby Mount Asama; a splash of color.

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Yet Hoang argues the landscape, both natural and man-made, counters that road, offering different looks throughout the year.

With the location chosen, the next step was to maneuver around the setting, changing as little as possible. That resulted in the serpentine nature of the structure as it winds its way around existing trees. Less noticeable to the casual eye is the undulating roof that starts off at a sharp acute angle at the entrance that slowly becomes less pronounced along the length of the house. Ban kept at the idea of shrinking the building, making it sit on the earth. Western and Japanese cedar, humble building materials, are used throughout to exude warmth and blend into the natural environment. Like an oversized puzzle, prefab timber frames were transported to the site and then assembled, conserving as much of the natural foliage as possible. Now,

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the evergreens, cherry trees and Japanese maples number more than 250—a palette of a small forest that changes with the seasons.

On arrival, guests enter the Library, which acts as the reception area—remember, this is a house not a hotel—a high-ceiling room lined with books along a second-level walkway, and with a hidden wet bar on ground level stocked with local craft wine, whisky, sake and beer.

From there to the guestrooms, it’s out a side door for a winding stroll along a heated sidewalk.

Rooms are designed to give a sense of relaxation and restore energy, so the initial guest list consists of creative types but it’s easy to see the appeal extends to anyone looking to recharge. My room has a beyond-comfortable queen-sized bed; and a writing desk, compact outdoor deck for two and that bath, each with a tree-lined view. The only splash of color is a

FROM TOP: Reading

material in the Grand Room; a fix at Karuizawa Coffee Co. in town.

vibrant rug stitched together from old Iranian saddlebags. I’m surprised to see exposed nails in my room. Suzuki explains: “It shows the true nature of the structure, there are no additional surfaces.”

Over Ban’s initial sketches, Suzuki takes me through the design process: “The hotel he wanted to create is supposed to feel like a cottage, somewhere guests can interact with each other.” As much as I love working at the desk in my room, the overall design does propel me to the Grand Room and, once the spring rain ends, outside. Every corner of the house is comfortable—I find myself testing chairs and sofas to prove the point.

In an architectural mindset, Shishi-Iwa House is divided into a hierarchy of spaces. Each has its own level of privacy, from individual rooms all the way to the outdoors.

“At any given moment, this could be an outdoor space,” Suzuki tells me.

The connect between indoor and out, that flexible use of space, is very much a Japanese ideal. Each of the three living rooms flow into the common Grand Room, which in turn can open up to an expansive outdoor deck as can the Library next to it— connecting humans with both nature and the architecture. The public areas are meant to be just that; spaces where guests can mingle

with each other and take in the design of the building.

Even views out the long narrow windows aren’t meant as a peek into the outdoors; it’s more that the scenes on either side of the walls are merging into one. A short hike away is Sengataki Falls yet, from indoors, the greenery often looks like art.

There’s plenty of original artwork chosen by Hoang, including a vivid acrylic by Günther Förg in the Library, a Hiroshi Sugimoto print in the Grand Room and several works in oil by Masaka Yamada. If these names don’t register, they will by the time you check out.

Ban was responsible for the interior design, which explains the presence of his own chairs made from cardboard tubes—surprisingly

comfortable to sit on for any length of time—alongside several armchairs that are the creation of Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. The towels and robes are by Ploh, and bathroom amenities are biodegradable products from Germany’s Stop The Water While Using Me! Central to the Grand Room is a fireplace, perfect for an area meant to gather minds. There’s also a catering kitchen just off to one side—local roasts from Karuizawa Coffee Co. are always available— where guest chefs prepare preplanned meals. My first night, we ventured into town, to Musaian Ikeda for a French-Japanese meal that included a wonderful pâté and some Japanese root vegetables; the following evening, the husband-andwife team from MoriQ put together a dinner to linger over at Shishi-Iwa using local, seasonal ingredients.

This was more of a traditional Japanese meal, including local Wagyu with organic vegetables, and red snapper in a cherry blossom broth that tinged the dish pink and gave it the aroma of a rainy spring day. With all that in mind, I was thinking of another visit. Next time, I’m requesting the room at the end of the building, the one with the custom-made Hinoki wooden bath that stares into the forest. shishiiwahouse.jp; Karuizawa, Japan; doubles from ¥40,000.

R OA D T R I P

Khmer Connection

Newly paved roads in Cambodia’s northeast make exploring via motorbike easier than ever. An intrepid solo trip around Banlung leads to natural discoveries and tasty local eateries and, best of all, that warm Khmer hospitality.

STORY AND PHOTOGR APHS BY NATE CL ARK

IT’S ONLY 10 A.M. but I’ve already arrived at today’s destination: the tiny village of Sra Em in northern Cambodia, just 30 kilometers from the Thai border. Sra Em is known mostly for its 11th-century Preah Vihear temple complex, a massive, sloping series of Angkor-style temples built to resemble the mythical Mount Meru— home to the Hindu gods and center of the spiritual universe. For me it’s just a pit stop. I’m riding much further east, to the rarely visited city of Banlung in Ratanakiri Province— Cambodia’s real life Heart of Darkness.

Today’s 200-kilometer ride from Siem Reap on my rented 110cc Kawasaki motorbike was a straight shot, almost too easy, and now I’m

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ahead of schedule. I won’t go to the temple until at least 4 p.m., when the light is best for photography. I hit the hotel pool but I can’t relax. All I can think about is riding. I head to my room to grab helmet and keys and soon I’m back in the green countryside, waving at monks and looking out for wild elephants.

Ten years ago, locals jokingly referred to Cambodia’s highway system as “The Dancing Way,” because the uneven grades and deep potholes forced you to “dance” for the entire journey. Once a seven-hour mission on terrain resembling a dry riverbed, the bus-ride from the Thai border to Siem Reap is now just a painless three-hour run thanks to a massive international effort to improve the country’s roads in the mid-2000s. Since then, Cambodia’s highway system has made a quantum leap forward, especially in less-traveled regions like Ratanakiri. Perfect for a motorcycle trip.

A year ago, I passed through Banlung on my way to Cambodia’s southern beaches but only stayed a night—something I always regretted after experiencing the roads and landscapes.

When a three-week window opened up in my schedule in January, I rented a motorbike and headed east again, this time with no itinerary.

THE NEX T DAY, after a glorious morning ride from Sra Em, I enter Banlung for the second

time. I choose a room at Banlung Balcony, a mostly wooden, lakeside affair with large, airy spaces and a pool. From here, I’m in daytrip heaven. I use it as a base for six days easily filled by riding out to villages, hiking to all five nearby waterfalls and diving into the crystal clear waters of one of Asia’s best swimming holes: the sacred Yeak Lom, a perfectly circular crater lake formed 4,000 years ago by a volcanic

eruption. Its fairytale beauty is mind-boggling.

The Khmer Loeu, eastern Cambodia’s indigenous peoples, consider the lake home to enormous spiritual beings who protect the land.

The completion of the eastern road to Banlung resulted in a massive jolt to the local economy. No longer dependent on cross-border imports from nearby Laos or Vietnam, the city of 20,000 residents now enjoys its own thriving downtown core featuring a modern, airconditioned supermarket, trendy cafés, highquality clothing shops and even a popular nightclub where Banlung’s youth rock out to high-decibel Khmer pop.

Banlung’s up-and-coming resort and restaurant scene centers on the shores of picturesque Kan Seng Lake, just a 10-minute walk from town. At night, travelers gather here to exchange stories, sip ice-cold Angkor beers and devour curried amok on one of the breezy lakeside patios. I spend most of my evenings on the wooden veranda of Banlung Balcony, chatting with the gregarious French chefowner Franck Burlet as he prepares the handmade, stone-oven pizzas that have made

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: Hitting

the road in Cambodia’s northeast; fish amok in Mondulkiri, just south of Banlung; the Preah Vihear temple near Sra Em; peak hour in Banlung; a new addition to the Wat Roka Kandal complex.

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R OA D T R I P

him famous among Banlung’s small community of expats.

After so many days spent riding in and out of Banlung on my motorcycle, I fill my last in town napping by the hotel pool. It feels strange, just letting the bike sit in the parking lot on such a fine afternoon. After only a week back in the saddle, I already miss riding. I think I’m starting to understand the way cowboys feel about horses. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.

NEARBY KR ATIE IS a nature lover’s paradise.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Banlung's

Kachanh waterfall is a 10-minute ride from the city; a room at Yeak Lom Hotel & Spa; diving into the Yeak Lom crater lake.

Most travelers come here to paddle the Mekong in kayaks, cycle the rural trails of nearby Koh Trong Island, or to catch a glimpse of the endangered Mekong Irrawaddy Dolphin. From Banlung, the last 30 kilometers of the journey to Kratie is sublime—riding on the riverbanks through tiny Muslim fishing villages where life has remained unchanged for decades.

I ride south along Kratie’s stunning riverfront promenade. Eventually the concrete gives way to the red dirt lanes of the Roka

homemade f o s e s s la g n So o around, and d e s s a p e r a y whisk nd r ice. a h is f h it w d a plate heape now hospitality k Cambodians

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Kandal fishing community—truly a place from another time. Outside the village’s modest temple, the 200-year-old Wat Roka Kandal, a family invites me to their stilted house on the river’s edge. As I approach the small cluster of wooden residences, life begins to slow down.

Small children play games under the shade of banana trees while shirtless fishermen prepare their nets for tomorrow’s catch. One of Kratie’s legendary sunsets is in its early stages. Soon, glasses of homemade whisky are passed around, and a paper plate heaped with delicious fish and rice is placed in front of me. I’m overwhelmed. Cambodians know hospitality.

I wonder, if the situation were reversed, and a strange-looking foreigner suddenly appeared on my doorstep in Canada, how long it would take me to have dinner on the table?

THE FINAL 150-KILOMETER stretch back to Siem

Reap is the least scenic part of the journey, and as the serene rural roads begin to widen it dawns on me that my adventure is about to end.

Cambodia, however, still has one more experience to etch into memory: I see a hat fly from a small motorbike seconds after it passes me on the two-lane highway. The young rider doesn’t stop or look back. I slow the Kawasaki and pick up the frayed, blue baseball cap. I stuff it into my coat and kick the bike into gear.

I pass through a tiny village and recognize the rider’s bright yellow jacket ahead. I follow him down a red dirt lane toward the river and pull up alongside him. I hold up the hat in triumph. He’s startled at first, but when he sees the cap he starts to laugh. Speaking some English, he introduces himself as Leem. He points to the hat and says, “My father.” Some locals approach and Leem says some words in Khmer. Hilarity ensues. Within minutes the whole village has surrounded us and I’m shaking hands like crazy. I beam with pride.

Mission successful. These unexpected connections are what motorcycle riding is all about. I fire up the bike one last time and begin my final push toward the city.

THAILAND

Anlong Veng

LAOS

Sra Em

Steung Treng

Banlung

Siem Reap Kratie

Cambodia VIETNAM

THE DETAILS VISA S Nationals of ASEAN countries do not need visas, nationals of most others can obtain a visa on arrival, but visit evisa.gov.kh for information specific to your nationality.

Siem Reap Scooter Rental (siemreapscooterrental.com; small motorbikes from US$10 per day) is the go-to place for rentals in Siem Reap. They rent by the day, week or month.

TOURS AND RENTAL S Cambodia Motorbike Adventures (cambodiamotorbike adventures.com; day-trips from US$70) is a respected Siem Reap outfit that tailors tours for riders of all skill levels. Veteran guide Paul Hay even takes newbies on day-trips to nearby temples before the real adventure. If you’re set on self-guiding, Paul also offers a “phone tour” where he stays on-call 24/7 to translate and answer questions by telephone.

If you’re leaving from Phnom Penh, Sam Stretton and his wife, Emily, from Cambodia Motorcycle Adventures (cambodiamotorcycle adventures.com; tours from US$95 per day), have been guiding in Cambodia since 2011. For added comfort, a support vehicle will drop your bags at each hotel before you arrive.

Known for their wellmaintained bikes and friendly customer service,

HOTEL S In the village of Sra Em, the modern Preah Vihear Boutique Hotel (preahvihear hotels.com; doubles from US$45) serves as the jumping off point for visitors to the nearby Preah Vihear

temple complex. The hotel features big rooms with garden views, an outdoor pool and a games room.

coffees, fresh baked bread and locally sourced ingredients; this is the place for breakfast in Banlung.

Ratanakiri-Boutique Hotel (ratanakiri-boutiquehotel. com; doubles from US$32) is a French colonial property with breezy, wood-furnished rooms and balconies that overlook Kan Seng Lake.

French chef Franck Burlet at Banlung Balcony (fb.com/ banlungbalcony; mains from US$4; doubles from US$10) serves world-class pizzas; his charming wife handles the Khmer favorites. Come early because this lakeside favorite fills up after 7 p.m.

The tallest building in Banlung, Yeak Lom Hotel and Spa (yeakloamhotel. com; doubles from US$60) has a rooftop bar that boasts the city’s best views. A short walk from the restaurants at Kan Seng Lake, it’s a great base to organize your day trips. Their impressive spa is in a lush, tropical garden.

RESTAUR ANTS Café Alee (855-89/473-767; 78A Chey Chomneas Village; mains from US$4) features

The city’s real Khmer eateries are on the streets surrounding the Banlung Market. Tanam (855-97/5578555; mains from US$1.50), just east of the market’s main entrance, is popular for breakfast, while Mey Mey Café (fb.com/meymeycoffee shop; mains from US$1.50) is well known for its tasty barbecue. Try lap Khmer, a lime-marinated beef salad, on most menus. — N.C.

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Welcome to Chinoy-town A walk through Manila’s Chinatown reveals its blended cultural identity and the legacies—places of worship, dishes to worship—of the Chinese Filipinos. STORY AND PHOTOGR APHS BY LESTER V. LEDESMA

The basilica was founded in 1596 for Christian converts.

WITH ITS LOFT Y DOME and high

Binondo’s landmark church, Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

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renaissance lines, the four-centuriesold church of Binondo, the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, seems no different from other Spanish colonialera churches in Manila. However, look closely and its ethnic character becomes apparent. “The façade is that of an old church, and it’s got everything you’d expect from such a structure,” my guide Ivan Man Dy points out. “But notice the bell tower’s octagonal shape and red color—it’s like a Chinese temple. Spend some time in Binondo and you’ll realize it’s a melting pot of Filipino, Chinese and Spanish cultures.”

You can credit this fusion to a long history of peaceful coexistence with the natives. When the Spanish first came to the Philippine islands in 1521, they found that xiang lei— Fujianese merchants from the southern Chinese coast—had been living and trading here for centuries.

After Manila was made the capital of the Spanish East Indies in 1571, the sangleyes (as the Spaniards called them) were Christianized and relocated to the area of Binondo— thus starting what could arguably be the world’s oldest Chinatown. I am spending the day exploring this locale with Ivan, a prominent cultural and historical guide who has taken academics, Nobel laureates and celebrities (among them the late

Anthony Bourdain) around his hometown in order to showcase its mixed heritage.

THE HEART OF THE DISTRICT is Calle Ongpin, a 900-meter-long stretch of grit and concrete marked by Catholic churches on both ends. Ivan leads me into this street, passing by fruit stalls, sundry shops and noodle parlors.

Some of these bear Chinese signage, others a mix of Filipino and Spanish names. Inside many stores, Taoist deities and Catholic saints share little altars bedecked with oranges and incense. At one alley, a dragonhead prop sticks out from the back of a jeepney. Ivan points to these as evidence of the long cultural exchange between the Filipinos and the Chinese.

“As more sangleyes arrived into the colony, they intermarried with the locals and bore the mestizo (mixedrace) bloodline of today’s Chinese Filipinos,” he says. “Some Pinoys assume we’re no different from Mainland Chinese. But that’s just not true—four centuries is long enough for Chinoys [short for the slang demonyms ‘Chino’ and ‘Pinoy’] to assimilate and

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1. Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Dedicated to the first Filipino saint (who happens to be a Chinoy), this church features a unique mix of Spanish, Chinese and Filipino design elements. Plaza Lorenzo Ruiz; 63-2/242-4850.

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BINONDO’S HERITAGE TRAIL

3 5

even add to the local culture. We’re Filipinos of Chinese descent.”

Near the corner of Ongpin and Pinpin Street we stop at the Santo Cristo de Longos, a shrine that bears an incense urn, a pair of divination blocks, and a large metal cross that sits where the Taoist deity should be.

Later on, we enter a rather unremarkable-looking building with an intriguing feature: its rooftop

2. Philippine Chinese Santiago Church Hidden on the rooftop of a low-rise building, this Taoist temple was rebuilt from a circa1800s temple that stood on the ground floor. The place hums with activity at all times, but more so during religious festivals when kaoka—an obscure form of ancient Chinese opera—is performed. It’s a bit hard to find, but the locals know where it is. Kipuja Street.

3. Eng Bee Tin Deli Gerry Chua’s family business was floundering in the 1980s until his reinvented hopia pastry became a local favorite. The place has since grown from a modest bakery to the de facto pit stop for foodies and visitors in Chinatown. The ground floor is where the take-home goodies are, while the second floor hosts a dim sum restaurant. engbeetin.com; pastries from P50.

4. Old Manila Walks Manila cultural and historical specialist Ivan Man Dy regularly does walking tours and foodie excursions to interesting spots in and around the Philippine capital. However, his Chinoy roots and cultural advocacies have all but cemented his name to that of his Binondo hometown. oldmanilawalks. com; tours from P1,400.

Ongpin Street comes alive during Chinese New Year.

5. New Toho Food Center There’s nothing new about this eating house, which has stood on this spot since 1888.

Manila’s oldest restaurant isn’t the swankiest place to dine, but what it lacks in atmosphere it makes up for with its classic menu of Chinese Filipino favorites. 422-424 Tomas Pinpin St.; 63-2/242-0294; mains from P100. — L.V.L.

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EXPLORE

hosts a temple dedicated to Kuan Kong, the Taoist god of literature and war. Interestingly, the locals call him Santiago, after the Spanish patron Saint James the Greater. “Chinese are pragmatic,” Ivan whispers while we watch devotees light candles and burn joss paper inside the temple known as the Philippine Chinese Santiago Church. “Taoism doesn’t demand exclusivity so we don’t mind mixing our gods. I was raised a Catholic, but sometimes I pray here just to stay in touch with my roots.”

At Eng Bee Tin Deli, owner Gerry Chua’s hopia are a hit.

BINONDO HAS THE FEEL of an innercity neighborhood, its gritty lanes host an endless parade of pedestrians, clip-clopping kalesas (horse-drawn carriages) and automobiles. Its many aging structures, however, tell of a place that has been left behind by the changing times. The Chinese mestizos remain a driving force in the economy, but gone are the days when Binondo was the premier business district, the seat of Manila’s first stock exchange and the base of the country’s major banks. Compared to the

Eng Bee Tin Deli also serves dim sum at its restaurant corner.

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Philippine capital’s modern-day CBD (now located in the city of Makati, some nine kilometers away), commerce in Chinatown is now mostly defined by small-scale, familyrun businesses.

The action may have moved elsewhere, but Binondo holds its place as the symbolic hometown of 1.35 million Filipinos of Chinese descent. This I ponder as we sample a uniquely Chinoy delicacy that sums up this district’s character. The hong peah began as a flaky malt-filled pastry in Fujian province, but evolved into the thicker and more cakey hopia when it reached these shores. Gerry Chua, the owner of Eng Bee Tin Deli, took it further and came up with variants that pack ingredients like taro as well as decidedly un-Chinese coconut and coffee. He realized his culinary reinvention was a hit when overseas Chinoys started ordering it in droves.

“They said it reminded them of home—of course they were referring to the Philippines,” he says, adding: “You can’t find this in China.”

A shrine to Taoist god Kuan Kong at the Philippine Chinese Santiago Church.

The outdoor spa pool at the Okada Manila.

MANILA’S SLEEKEST STAYS

FA R R I G H T: C O U R T E S Y O F O K A D A M A N I L A

Local guide Ivan Man Dy at the Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz.

It’s easy to find pockets of nostalgia all over this heritage district. At the New Toho Food Center, chefs still whip up plates of time-honored kikiam meat rolls (that’s the Hokkien ngoh hiang) and pork asado (char siew), the way they have been doing since 1888. This is Manila’s oldest restaurant, and it seems only fitting that I end my day of explorations here. The Philippine national hero Jose Rizal (himself a Chinese mestizo) was said to have dined on this spot before his execution by the Spaniards in 1898.

This is practically hallowed ground, I tell myself as I join the crowd of locals tucking into their meals. The ethnic Chinese have been around for so long that it’s easy to overlook their legacy in the Philippines. Good thing there’s a Chinatown—no, a Chinoytown—that helps make it easier to appreciate.

Okada Manila It’s never a dull moment at this all-inone entertainment complex overlooking Manila Bay. Gaming facilities and show stages are just a wedge of the pie. You can also take your pick of 21 specialty eateries, from refined Italian or robata-style Japanese to 24-hour dim sum or Filipino comfort food, and dance ‘til you drop at indoor beach and night club Cove Manila, where a kinetic chandelier hovers over private hot tubs and luxury cabanas. All of the 993 rooms are decadently appointed, and underlined by Okada’s unique blend of Japanese-style hospitality with Filipino charm. okadamanila. com; doubles from P14,000.

Shangri-La at the Fort Soaring up from the heart of buzzing Bonafacio Global City (BGC), this gleaming tower has become a must-visit for more than just its guests.

Sure, the contemporary rooms and suites with luxe linens, panoramic views and Filipino design accents lure both business and leisure travelers, but

locals, too, have been drawn to its hip hubs.

Brisket and Wagyu burgers are a tease at Raging Bull, while Canton Road offers dim sum in an art-filled haven. Our favorite is speakeasy The Back Room, all dark woods, green leathers and locally infused tipples. shangri-la.com; doubles from P10,000.

Grand Hyatt Manila There’s no shortage of opulent spaces to lay your head at this skyhigh shiner in BGC. As the tallest building in the Philippines, the Grand Hyatt doesn't just flaunt vast woodpaneled rooms, decked-out meeting rooms, an outdoor pool that’s also set up for alfresco barbecues, and the tranquil Illume Spa, but seven high-end eateries to wine and dine. Of these, you’re going to want to beeline for the three-story grill, lounge and whisky bar, The Peak, from the 60th to the 62nd floor. hyatt.com; doubles from P9,200.

Astoria Plaza & Astoria Greenbelt Offering modern retreats from Manila’s choked city streets, Astoria’s two boutiquestyle properties in the Philippine capital win us over with rooms that feel like an elevated

version of home.

Astoria Plaza in the Ortigas Business District has spacious suites with kitchens and floor-to-ceiling views of the Pasig cityscape. The Greenbelt property, meanwhile, is right in Makati’s CBD and oozes character with creative murals in rooms and the jewel-toned Tableau dining space. astoriaplaza.com, doubles from P5,500; astoriagreenbelt.com; doubles from P5,625.

New World Makati Hotel This central five-star has luxury ingrained in its foundations: marble bathrooms, elegant furnishings and high ceilings make rooms feel lavish; four distinct dining spaces offer options for every taste; and the Maharai Spa can indulge weary muscles from a day’s exploring. Though there’s no need to wander far—the hotel is in the heart of Makati and on the doorstep of stylish shopping districts Greenbelt and Glorietta Lifestyle.

Business travelers will be well looked after with secretarial support, convenient workstations and fast Wi-Fi. manila. newworldhotels.com; doubles from P7,900.

— ELOISE BASUKI

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Lawry’s The Prime Rib is our Grade-A favorite meal When you crave American classics with white-glove service, there’s only one choice for discerning diners in Singapore

What makes Lawry’s The Prime Rib unique?

Lawry’s offers a grand dining experience. Start off with table-side showmanship of their Famous Original Spinning Bowl Salad. The main event is Signature Roasted USDA Prime Rib of Beef also carved table-side from gleaming silver carts.

Additionally, you’ll be delighted by the unparalleled and personalised service.

House specialty Lawry’s Signature Roasted USDA Prime Rib of Beef: The Lawry’s Cut. At 285 grams, this is their most popular cut of prime rib. Each standing roast is aged for up to 28 days to heighten tenderness and then slowly roasted on beds of rock salt, a method that forces the juices inward and ensures uniformly juicy and flavourful meat.

Three must-try dishes 1) Signature Roasted USDA Prime Rib of Beef.

At Lawry’s, you’ll find only the top 3 to 5% of all the beef raised in the United States, which qualifies for the highest USDA grade. The combination of cut (the place within the steer from which it comes), supreme quality and excellent proportion and distribution of fat to muscle is what makes USDA Prime-graded prime rib so highly prized. It is

meltingly tender and juicy, with a rich, uniquely satisfying flavor.

2) Atlantic Lobster Tails.

Flown in from Nova Scotia, the broiled lobsters are a fan favorite and you can get them for an appetizer or a main course.

3) Traditional Lump Crab Cake.

This classic meal opener full of tender, flaky chunks of crab meat, makes a great entree to your prime rib feast.

Why choose Lawry’s?

Exceptional American cuisine with world-class service in a grand, luxurious setting. It’s perfect for celebrations, date nights and family gatherings.

What is the mood like?

Settle into the warm ambience under soft lighting, with vibrant street views of Orchard Road through 4-metre-high floor-to-ceiling windows.

Little known fact Lawry’s prime rib is neither grilled or charred, but roasted and served with beef jus. It’s succulent carnivorous perfection of the highest quality.

American Express® Platinum Credit Card Members receive up to 50% off their total food bill at Lawry’s The Prime Rib with the Love Dining by Platinum Program.

Find out more at amex.co/lovedining Terms and conditions apply.

Not an American Express® Platinum Credit Card Member?

Visit amex.co/platg or call 6396 8838 to apply.

Brought to you by

ON THE MAP

By the Water’s Edge A flashy new mall has lured more visitors over to the Thonburi side of Bangkok’s Chao Phraya river than ever before, but its Khlong San neighborhood has long been a local hub for Sino-Siamese eats and a lively social scene.

BY ELOISE BASUKI. PHOTOGR APHS BY CEDRIC ARNOLD

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From the deck of the new shopping center IconSiam, overlooking Bangkok’s skyline and the Chao Phraya river.

2. KHLONG SAN PLAZA MARKET For a more local shopping experience, this market area popular with students sells clothing, shoes and accessories for a steal. The food center has plenty to amaze snap-happy tourists, with stalls hawking buckets of slithery eels, netted frogs, edible bugs and pyramids of tropical fruits. Thai desserts are sought after here—try the rarely found bua loy khai kem, naturally colored glutinous rice balls served in a salty-sweet hot coconut milk soup and topped with poached eggs. Charoen Nakhon Road.

1. ICONSIAM Though many cross the river for the new mall’s international debuts—the vast complex houses the country’s first Apple store and Takashimaya department store—we come for the food. Sook Siam on the bottom floor channels old-time Thailand with local snacks like coconut ice cream (above) served floating market–style; Takashimaya’s Hokkaido-inspired food court dishes up Sapporo ramen at Baikhokhen; and the “Alangkarn” dining zone has 17 restaurants among rice-paddy installations. iconsiam.com.

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3. LHONG 1919 The launch of this shopping, dining and event space solidified the riverside as an up-and-coming precinct. The refurbished complex of old Sino-Siamese warehouses retains its 19th-century charm with ink-painting murals and the ancient Mazu shrine, while modern restaurants, like seafood-focused Rong Si and Plearnwan Panich dessert shop, offer high-end dining with water views. lhong1919.com.

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5. THE 14TH BARREL This craft-beer bar has a range of international labels and newcomers, like the Bangkok-based Lamzing's Sticky Mango pale ale and the Devanom range using Nonthaburi hops.

(Note: no drafts.) There are bar snack staples— waffle fries, ribs or buffalo wings—as well as pastas and salads. fb.com/thefourteenbarrel; drinks from Bt160; mains from Bt120.

4. THA DIN DAENG MARKET Once a cargo port for ships heading to Ayutthaya, Din Daeng Pier is still an active hub. The cluster of food stalls have given the district the name “Little Chinatown.” It's a great place to try Thai-Chinese dishes like rad na (gravy noodles), harn palo (braised goose), khanom pia (bean pastries) and Hainanese bokkia (noodles, fruits and beans in an icy syrup). While there’s a market in the morning, most food stalls come alive at night. 163 Tha Din Daeng Rd.

6. WALDEN HOME CAFE Vintage furniture, dark-wood floorboards, exposed brick walls and a shelf packed with books and magazines gives this café a cozy vibe. Owner Dith Changsiricharoen brews coffee from beans sourced from Chiang Mai, and has a menu featuring smoked-salmon spaghetti and banana crumble pancakes. fb.com/waldenhome cafe; coffee from Bt65; mains from Bt120.

7. SAVE OUR SOULS Head here for a rotating menu of German weizens, Thai IPAs Belgian blonds and more on tap. Hard-to-find international bottles and limited release cans also feature—look for Orpheus sour ale with apricot and Hong Kong’s Moonzen range. A recent food collaboration with Bangkok eatery Jim’s Burgers means you won't go hungry. fb.com/ sosbeerbkk; drinks from Bt220, mains from Bt150.

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D I S C O V E RY

FROM TOP: A sundowner in the bush at Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge; a lounge area at the property, which underwent a total renovation last year. OPPOSITE: Guests at the lodge, located in Botswana’s Chobe National Park, don’t need to leave camp to enjoy firstclass animal viewing.

Where the Wild Meets High Style I HAVE BEEN LUCK Y ENOUGH to go on dozens of safaris in southern Africa, and on every trip there has been something thrilling to see, something new to learn.

Singling out a favorite place seems unfair, but when pushed, I always settle on Botswana. It’s a country that delivers on so many fronts. Whether flooded or parched, its landscapes teem with animals. Because of its consistently low-impact, high-revenue approach to tourism, the country’s wild spaces have remained exclusive—the Okavango Delta, for instance, covers more than 5,000 square kilometers, yet has only about 1,700 lodge beds. First-time visitors or anyone who prefers high-level pampering will find few other destinations that can offer these kinds of top-notch wildlife experiences in such comfortable settings.

On my most recent trip, I checked out two properties on the three-camp circuit offered by Belmond, the storied brand recently acquired by LVMH. I was curious to see how the operator, known for its plush European travel experiences, approaches the African wilderness, where long-established players like andBeyond and Wilderness Safaris have such a strong track record.

As with most high-end safaris, my trip kicked off with a light-aircraft flight. Often, the journey from the regional hub of Maun to the lodges of the Okavango Delta involves bouncing around in a tiny three-seater. On this trip, however, my fellow guests and I were shown to the pristine leather interior of one of Mack Air’s new smooth-flying 13-seat planes.

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ALL IMAGES: MARK WILLIAMS/COURTESY OF BELMOND

Not everyone wants to rough it when they go on safari. If you prefer your big-game sightings served up with a side of serious luxury, Belmond’s Botswana camps offer the perfect solution. BY JANE BROUGHTON

Our first stop was Belmond Eagle Island Lodge, the group’s flagship Botswana property, which was refurbished three years ago. Set on a private island in a lagoon and shaded by giant gnarled jackalberry trees, the lodge has 12 elevated suites, each with a private plunge pool. The design of the guest rooms, which have traditional thatched roofs and are built from canvas and wood (much of it recycled), feels elegant and fresh. In keeping with Botswana’s strict environmental policies, everything, from the hair dryers to the swimming-pool pumps and the air-conditioning units, is solar-powered; instead of plastic bottles of mineral water, guests are given flasks to refill with water filtered by reverse osmosis.

(Mine made a great gym accessory when I got back home.)

I visited in November—early summer in Botswana. To reflect the season, the food was light and Mediterraneaninspired: chilled soups, crisp salads and grilled seafood and steak, all paired with excellent South African wines and served in scenic locations around the property. At sunset, we drank cocktails made with specialty gins from around the world in the stylish Fish-Eagle Bar, which overlooks the lagoon.

The intricate web of waterways, channels and islands that make up the Okavango Delta have made Botswana a singular location for water-based game viewing. At Eagle Island Lodge, boat cruises are a daily treat, as long as water levels are high enough. Though it was summer, I was still able to take guided trips in a mokoro, or dugout canoe, right in front of the camp—something very few properties in the delta can offer. The canoe’s position low in the water revealed the hidden delights of the reedbeds:

jewel-bright birds, including kingfishers; iridescent dragonflies darting to and fro; and thumb-size Angolan reed frogs clinging tenaciously to the vegetation.

My second destination, Belmond Savute Elephant Lodge, is located in northern Botswana’s Chobe National Park, an elephant-dense area where National Geographic has captured some of its best documentary footage. This property recently had a total redesign, resulting in a look characterized by bleached wood, lots of basketry, and geometric African motifs. The camp’s 12 spacious tented suites are built on raised timber decks and, with their four-poster beds and indoor and outdoor showers, feel like serene, air-conditioned sanctuaries.

Savute’s twice-daily game drives are all about tracking big cats, wild dogs and rare species like roan and sable antelopes. But for me the highlight was spending time around the camp’s water hole, just below the pool deck, where many meals are served. Here, a steady stream of elephants, buffalo and antelope come to drink at all hours of the day and night.

As I breakfasted there on my last morning, elephants parading by, I came to understand the niche in the safari market that Belmond fills. At the very least, the wellheeled travelers who visit will return home with bragging rights and a few hair-raising tales to tell at their next dinner party; at best, the trip could ignite a passion for conservation that might help to ensure the future of Africa’s wild spaces. belmond.com; doubles from US$2,140, all-inclusive, at all Botswana lodges.

WA N D E R

Getting Hip to Anchorage

Blessed by the wilderness at its doorstep, Alaska’s largest city has developed a character unlike any other: down-to-earth, welcoming and ardently committed to embracing its untamed side. BY RYAN BR ADLEY. PHOTOGR APHS BY TOM FOWLKS MY WIFE AND I told people we were going to

FROM LEFT: The Lakefront

Anchorage hotel, on Lake Spenard; the Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop in South Anchorage.

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Alaska for five days. “On a cruise?” they asked.

“To see glaciers? Eagles? The wilderness?”

When we admitted that we would mostly be staying in Anchorage, their faces fell. “That will still be nice,” they said, but we sensed their pity.

They assumed the city was the place you quickly passed through before entering the real Alaskan frontier.

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Back in the 1970s, when John McPhee wrote Coming into the Country, his book about the 49th state, he repeated what was by then already an old saw: that Alaska begins about 10 minutes outside of town. If Anchorage is the city, Alaska is the anti-city. But my wife and I happen to like cities and wilderness.

Anchorage has wonderful versions of both, surrounded as it is by the mountainous Chugach State Park— at more than 200,000 hectares, the third-largest state park in the United States.

Our hotel, the Lakefront Anchorage (millennium hotels.com; doubles from US$87), about five minutes from the airport, looks out on a kind of airport of its own. The small lake it fronts is primarily used by floatplanes, which I watched from the hotel’s back patio, drinking my morning coffee as they skimmed the water and scuttered to a halt. En route to the downtown area, we stopped in at Spenard Roadhouse (spenard roadhouse.com; mains from US$17), a bright, airy, elevated diner, for beerbattered fresh-caught halibut and a taste of one of a dozen local beers.

Over the course of the weekend, I learned that I was partial to beers by Anchorage Brewing Company, but there’s also Midnight Sun, 49th State, Resolution, King Street and Broken Tooth, among others. The options, most fairly new, felt endless.

FROM LEFT: A sweet roll and

eggs Benedict at Snow City Café; the craft-beer menu at Anchorage Brewing Company.

The recent boom in breweries and gastropubs is more charming than the city’s first boom, in the 1970s. Back then, oil drove new arrivals and spurred the development that caused Anchorage’s sprawl. Now there are bike paths, farmers’ markets, food trucks and revamped spaces like the Bear Tooth Theatrepub (beartooththeatre.net), a recently restored movie hall that specializes in art-house films, documentaries and live music, with a dinewhile-you-watch menu. If this all sounds like Portland—or Nashville or Pittsburgh or San Diego or nearly any other city that has undergone urban renewal—it is and it isn’t.

Anchorage is undeniably Alaskan. It’s far away from everything except all that encompassing wilderness; what’s perceived as cool elsewhere is viewed from a great distance here. The result is a kind of authenticity that is hard to come by.

One morning, we went to the Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop (fireislandbread.com), which is run by Rachel Saul, who grew up in the city.

The Bakeshop now has three locations, but the original, in South Addition, a quiet neighborhood next to downtown, is a hub of Anchorage life. As we picked out scones and ancient-grain breads before hitting the trails, Saul told us that the mayor was there. Everyone seemed to know one another. At Saul’s recommendation, we later tried the Snow City Café (snowcitycafe.com; mains from US$11), for eggs Benedict “Kodiak style”—with king crab

cakes. The café was a short distance from the Crow’s Nest, a delightful 1960s bar atop the Hotel Captain Cook (captaincook.com; doubles from US$195), where, at the end of the day, we sipped martinis and took in the sweep of the bay, the port and the snowcapped Alaska Range.

Between meals, there were the trails to conquer. On our first morning, in the foothills of the Chugach on the Overlook Trail, we saw paragliders overhead and people walking with bells around their wrists (“To scare away bears,” one of them explained). The next day, a bald eagle swooped down and grabbed a salmon in Prince William Sound as we walked among endless lupines and roses. We drove up the fjordlike Turnagain Arm, past mountain goats, to a glacier, then stopped in the ski town of Girdwood for a plate of Middle Eastern meze at the eclectic Jack Sprat (jacksprat.net; mains from US$21). On our last day, we found an explosion of peonies at the Alaska Botanical Garden (alaskabg. org). Did we see wilderness? Did we see Alaska? Did we see a moose hanging out in someone’s front yard?

Yes, yes and yes.

NEXT STOPS After a few days in Anchorage, drive to one of these great Alaskan destinations. hours to Seward hours to Kenai hours to Homer hours to Denali National Park & Preserve

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PL ACE SET TINGS

In the years since the Cold War, Lithuania has been looking outward. Now, forwardthinking chefs and food producers in the capital of Vilnius are turning their attention back home—with delicious results. BY MEREDITH BETHUNE

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A guest room at Grand Hotel Kempinski Vilnius; local cheeses at Halės Market, in Old Town; outside Hotel Pacai; chef Deivydas Praspaliauskas prepping for the dinner crowd at Amandus. OPPOSITE: A colorful plate at Restaurant Telegrafas.

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C L O C K W I S E F R O M T O P L E F T: C O U R T E S Y O F G R A N D H O T E L K E M P I N S K I V I L N I U S ; V. D O R O S Z /A L A M Y S T O C K P H O T O ; COURTESY OF DESIGN HOTELS; COURTESY OF AMANDUS. OPPOSITE: COURTESY OF GR AND HOTEL KEMPINSKI VILNIUS

A Taste of the Baltics

THE LONG WOODEN TABLE

at Būsi

Trečias (busitrecias.lt; mains

€4–€14), a rustic, family-owned brewpub in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, was cluttered with bar snacks: crisp fingers of fried rye bread called kepta duona served with a garlicky cheese sauce; žirniai su spirgučiais, bowls of yellow split peas topped with crumbled bacon. I prodded owner Romualdas Dacius for details about the lager we sipped, but he just shrugged. “I only brew beer that I like.” Then he regaled me with ghost stories about the 18th-century building the pub is housed in.

A few days later, at a tasting-menu restaurant called Sweet Root (sweetroot.lt; tasting menu €74), I bit into the amuse-bouche, a pastry shell the size of a quarter bulging with green peas and crunchy specks of duck, and was reminded of the peas at Būsi Trečias. Both dishes are the work of a new generation of chefs, restaurateurs and artisans striving to crystallize and elevate Lithuania’s culinary identity. “We’re a little country and don’t have a clear, unified food heritage,” explained Sigitas Žemaitis, who co-owns Sweet Root with his fiancée, Agnė Marcinauskaitė.

Situated on the Baltic Sea and surrounded, historically, by formidable powers—most notably the Russian Empire—this country of

fewer than 3 million has long struggled to preserve its national character. That includes its cuisine, which is ill-defined except for a few niche products. Lithuanians drink beer and kvass, a fermented rye drink, like water and toast every milestone and special occasion with a glass of mead. Fresh dairy products, like cottage cheese and sour cream, are staples, and mushroom foraging rivals basketball as the national sport. Vilnius’s cuisine wasn’t known for much

LATVIA

BALTIC SEA

Kaliningrad oblast (Russian Territory)

POLAND

Vilnius BELARUS

beyond lackluster versions of stickto-your-ribs dishes like cepelinai, the meat-stuffed, sour-creamsmothered potato dumplings served at touristy restaurants in Old Town.

But now, at last, that’s changing.

I was sitting at Telegrafas (fb.com/ telegrafas; mains €23–€63), the restaurant inside the Grand Hotel Kempinski Vilnius (kempinski.com; doubles from €280), and gazing at the Vilnius Cathedral when a whitegloved waiter jolted me back to the present with a cheese platter. There was a crumbly English-style cheddar and a bold cow-milk cheese that reminded me of something nutty and Alpine—Gruyère, or maybe Comté?

Neither, it turned out. Telegrafas sources all its cheese from the nearby village of Dargužiai, which has become something of a dairy capital thanks to the efforts of local farmers.

Later, at the neo-Gothic Halės Market (halesturgaviete.lt), I wove past vendors hawking spiky šakotis cakes and buckets heaving with fermented garlic scapes, on my way to Roots (fb.com/rootsvilnius), a bright and modern cheese shop run by Redita Vadeike and her mother, Lolita Strumylienė. Strumylienė told me

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how, after Lithuania joined the European Union in 2004, local cheese makers brought back new techniques from sojourns in France and Italy.

She handed me a sliver of a raclettestyle cheese, fruity and pungent.

Chefs who left to work abroad 15 years ago have also returned to Lithuania with fresh inspiration.

The seed for Sweet Root was planted when the owners spent a year on biodynamic farms in Italy. Chef Deivydas Praspaliauskas, often credited with bringing modern fine dining to the country, cooked for several years in Copenhagen. His restaurant, Amandus (amandus.lt; tasting menu €55), combines Lithuanian go-tos—green-pea purée, mustard seeds—with ingredients from abroad, like sea scallops and ponzu. At the new Hotel Pacai (hotelpacai.com; doubles from €180), Noma alum Matas Paulinas helms the ambitious, 27-seat Nineteen18 (hotelpacai.com; tasting menu €89). Paulinas’s tasting menu, true to his training, is composed mainly of ingredients produced within 100 kilometers of Vilnius, resulting in dishes like grilled oyster mushrooms in a syrupy sauce of mint and elderberry capers.

Upon entering the dining room at Šturmų Švyturys (sturmusvyturys.lt; mains €16–€24), named for the

FROM TOP: Pilies Street, a main thoroughfare in Old Town, Vilnius; a taste of the sea, salted freshwater whitefish.

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coastal fishing village that supplies the restaurant, the first things I noticed were the plump fillets on display and the briny scent of fish stock simmering on the stove. Česlovas Žemaitis, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Asta, explained how running their own small port has allowed them to have more exacting standards. The fish is always wild, never flash-frozen, and the selection depends on whatever the sea offers that day—still unusual claims for a seafood restaurant in Lithuania. I ordered the fearsomelooking lamprey, which tasted mild when served with thinly sliced beets in a tangy, vinegar-spiked marinade.

Buttery salmon found its ideal companions in additions of lightly pickled pumpkin and tart sea buckthorn berries.

This palpable pride in all things Lithuanian is leaving a mark on the city’s lively nightlife scene.

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Girta Bitė (5 Gedimino Prospektas; 370/604-13363), a compact bar with dramatic crystal chandeliers, treats mead with reverence. A bartender poured me a glassful from the tap; it was sweet and crisp, like a honeyed pilsner. The dim, vaguely steampunk Cocktail Bar Alchemikas (fb.com/bar. alchemikas) takes a different approach: Žalgiris, a high-proof distilled mead, is mixed with yellow chartreuse and honey syrup for a cocktail called, fittingly, Baltic Courage. The bartender warned me to drink slowly.

The dessert at Sweet Root is the dish that has stayed with me the most. For his final act, Žemaitis presented me with a wafer-thin layer of leaf-shaped meringue resting on ice cream infused with porcini mushrooms. I savored the earthy sweetness, the contrast of crunchy and creamy. It tasted like Lithuania on a plate.

F R O M T O P : G A B R I E L E D E S S Ì /A L A M Y S T O C K P H O T O ; S A N T I A G O U R Q U I J O / G E T T Y I M A G E

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EXPERIENCE

A New Day for Dominica

With the help of community-minded hotels and visitors eager to give back, this Caribbean island beloved by adventure seekers is making a rapid recovery from Hurricane Maria. BY GINA DECAPRIO VERCESI PHOTOGR APHS BY NOE DEWITT

Villas at Secret Bay, a luxury resort on the island of Dominica with access to a secluded beach.

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DOMINICA IS A WILD PL ACE, but nothing in its wilds can hurt you. No venomous snakes lurk along the jungle trails. No deadly insects skitter beneath the layer of duff that carpets the rainforest floor. Instead of menacing critters, I saw gulf fritillaries open and close their wings atop fiery blossoms, territorial hummingbirds flit in an iridescent blur to ward off trespassers, and golden-armored land crabs stand at attention, pincers outstretched in mock threat.

Unlike other spots in the West Indies, where the primary lure is lounging on a powder-white shore with a cocktail, travelers journey to Dominica, a volcanic island between Martinique and Guadeloupe, for adventure.

Kilometers of rainforest trails lead to blacksand beaches fringed by coral reefs, to waterfalls that cascade into lagoons, and to a bubbling fumarole—a rift in the earth’s crust near a volcano—called Boiling Lake.

One humid morning last December, I slogged up the Waitukubuli National Trail in the rain. On the last section of the slope, I dropped onto a log, where my guides, two young Dominicans named Dylan and Fabian, were taking a breather. They had come to clear debris left by Hurricane Maria, and I had come to lend a hand.

Outdoor enthusiasts champion Dominica as an ecotourism destination, in part because of the 185-kilometer Waitukubuli, which stretches the length of the island. It’s divided into 14 segments, each of which can be hiked in a day.

But the trail became impassable after Maria ripped through Dominica in 2017, bringing high winds and driving rains that also wiped out farmland and villages. Now, island hotels and guides have introduced post-hurricane voluntourism projects, including trail rehabilitation, for visitors who wish to assist in the recovery.

My home base on Dominica was the newly reopened Secret Bay resort, six private villas on the northwestern coast. Through the resort’s concierge, I connected with Annette Peyer Loerner, a Swiss expat who owns the rustic Tamarind Tree Hotel with her husband, Stefan.

After the hurricane, Annette adopted Segment 11 of the trail, taking responsibility for its clearing and maintenance. Since work began, Annette has cleared about one-third of the 12-kilometer stretch, part of which passes through Morne Diablotin National Park, home to the island’s tallest mountain.

My day on the Waitukubuli began when I met up with Annette at the trailhead, where she was waiting with a few other volunteers. We set out along the cleared portion of Segment 11.

After an hour of hiking, we reached the point

FROM TOP: One of

three honeymoon villas at Secret Bay; the coastline of northern Dominica.

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EXPERIENCE

where work had stopped. Fabian stepped into the dense undergrowth and pulled out power tools that had been concealed under a tarp.

Annette opened a rucksack that held scythes, rakes and heavy gloves. As she doled out the equipment, Fabian fired up the chain saw. Up the trail, he cut fallen trunks and limbs that obstructed our path while Dylan whacked at a tangle of vines and razor grass. The rest of us followed behind, heaving logs and heaps of brush into the surrounding forest.

When I wasn’t working, my bungalow at Secret Bay provided a plush refuge. Each morning I sipped coffee on the deck overlooking Cabrits National Park while bananaquits perched on the railing, eyeing my breakfast papaya. A wooden staircase wound down to Tibay Beach, where I snorkeled beside a rocky cliff, watching multicolored parrotfish munch on coral.

Secret Bay’s owner, Gregor Nassief, has a passion for immersing his guests in the culture and natural beauty of the island. I drank a sorrel-and-ginger infusion and dined on invasive (and delicious) lionfish speared by Don Mitchell, the resort’s boat captain. I paddled the Indian River with Fire (born Patrickson Lockhart), a dreadlocked boatman who pointed out native flora. And I searched the trees for parrots on the Syndicate Nature Trail with local ornithologist Bertrand Jno Baptiste, otherwise known as Dr. Birdy.

Despite the plywood-covered windows, headless coconut trees and sheets of galvanized roofing along the roadside, there were moments when I almost forgot Maria had been here.

Every afternoon, gentle mountain rains mixed with sunlight to paint huge rainbows that arced over the shoreline. Hills that had been stripped bare burst with bright green foliage. Roads and hotels had reopened. And the island’s rare, endemic parrots, the sisserou and the jaco, announced their presence with distinctive squawks, allaying fears that they had fled to Guadeloupe—though they stayed hidden during our morning mission on Segment 11.

That afternoon I floated in the warm sea, letting the salt water bathe the incisions the razor grass had made on my skin. Overhead, the daily rainbow began to take shape, along with the glimmer of a twin, and I recalled that a local woman I’d met at dinner the night before had told me there had been more double rainbows since Maria.

“I think,” she said, “that it’s nature’s way of cheering us up.”

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The Emerald Pool, in Morne Trois Pitons National Park.

HELPING DOMINICA You can support the rebuilding of this Caribbean destination just by visiting, but there are many ways to add a service component to your travels.

Maria’s winds scalped the jungle canopy, allowing sunlight to reach formerly shaded sections of the forest floor. Because of this, fresh growth can swiftly reclaim cleared trails, so maintenance is crucial. The Fort Young Hotel (fortyounghotel.com; doubles from US$244), in the capital of Roseau, rehabilitated Segment 3 of the Waitukubuli National Trail. Guests can assist in keeping the 13-kilometer stretch weedfree, while bathing at multiple hot springs along the way.

At Secret Bay (secretbay. dm; doubles from US$909), Fort Young’s sister property, guests who participate in the resort’s “Nurture the Nature Island” experience will venture along a portion of Segment 11 with the ornithologist Dr. Birdy, learning about and helping with regrowth of native trees.

Guests can also choose to help clear the beaches of the hurricane debris that continues to wash up on them.

New resorts promise to further aid the island. Cabrits Resort & Spa Kempinski (kempinski.com) is scheduled to open in November, with a mission to sustain the surrounding Cabrits National Park. — G.D.V.

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T H E T+L G U I DE

TO SHOPPING IN

Le Mont St. Michel’s boutique in the Marais neighborhood carries an array of Breton-stripe sweaters.

You’ve been to the Louvre, the Tuileries and the Eiffel Tower. Now it’s time to bring home some of the city’s legendary chic. From the venerable grands magasins and flea markets to the newest purveyors of street style, our experts will lead you to that essential outfit or objet you won’t find anywhere else.

P HO T O G R A P H S B Y C É L I N E C L A N E T

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FROM LEFT: Les Puces de St.-Ouen, one of the city’s famous flea markets; vintage Louis Vuitton luggage at the market.

THE ENTHUSIAST’S PARADISE

Paris lets you indulge your passions, no matter how out of the ordinary. Whether it’s antique maps, exotic spices or artful graphic novels you seek, you’ll find it for sale here. BY ALE X ANDR A MARSHALL

PEOPLE COME TO Paris for all the usual reasons: to explore museums, stroll the banks of the Seine, nibble pastries and haunt bistros. But according to the informal polls I’ve conducted with visiting friends over the dozen years I’ve lived in France’s capital, above all else they come to shop. Who can blame them? Paris has been producing world-class design for centuries. Yes, many of the city’s signature goods have become available outside France, but that just means it’s now more of an adventure to sniff out unique city offerings.

Commit yourself to going local, one-of-a-kind, eccentric or nerdy— qualities that Paris has in spades.

The flea markets are a natural first

stop. While on the weekends connoisseurs with cash to burn go north to Les Puces de St.-Ouen (marcheauxpuces-saintouen.com), where permanent stalls are filled with high-ticket antiques, stylish bargain hunters head to Les Puces de Vanves (pucesdevanves.fr), at the southern edge of the 14th Arrondissement. It’s a proper Saturday and Sunday flea market with a far less intimidating degree of specialization: a joyful jumble of transferware by French producers like Sarreguemines or SaintAmand, fur coats, wartime maps and stentorian oil portraits, all from sellers eager to clear off their tables by morning’s end. On

weekdays, go to the Ninth, where the basement level of the accessible, often quirky auction house Drouot (9 Rue Drouot; drouot.com) is loaded with antique medals, handbags and enough wine to fell an army. These are less glamorous realms than curated boutiques like Montaigne Market (18 Ave. Matignon; montaigne market.com), in the Eighth, or the Broken Arm (12 Rue Perrée; thebroken-arm.com), in the Marais. But no one back home will have anything you walk away from Drouot with.

Paris is a hobbyist’s dream. If you have a love of cooking or comics, you’ll find more here than you ever could on Amazon. E. Dehillerin (18-20 Rue Coquillière; edehillerin.fr), an exhaustive cooking supply store is your go-to for copper pots, though it displays only floor samples. Reading French helps if you want to take full advantage of the country’s graphic novels, called bandes dessinées or bédés, but the artistry of Bastien Vivès’s love stories, Riad Sattouf’s memoirs and Manu Larcenet’s goofy odysseys have a pull beyond language. Good selections are at Album (67 Blvd. St.-Germain; album comics.com), in the Latin Quarter, and Opéra BD (2 Rue des Tournelles; operabd.com), in the Marais. You can simply follow your nose at Épices Roellinger (51 bis Rue Ste.-Anne; epices-roellinger.com), the spice emporium of chef Olivier Roellinger, whose roasted cumin seeds, Madagascar vanilla and buckwheat butter cookies are some of the easiest gifts to pack.

It would be a crime to leave the country without Breton stripes, which the French really do wear, constantly. Marais boutique Le Mont St. Michel (96 Rue Vieille-du-Temple; lemontsaintmichel.fr) uses heirloom knitting techniques to fashion pricy Wes Andersonesque separates for men and women. But really, some of the best sailor shirts in town are at Monoprix (multiple locations; monoprix.fr), the local equivalent of Target, where almost anyone can afford to bring back multiples.

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GUIDE SHOPPING

PRINTED MATTERS FROM LEFT: Sennelier

art-supply store; linens embroidered by hand at Noël.

TRADITIONS OF EXCELLENCE

With their roots in earlier eras, these establishments don’t break the mold—they made the mold. BY JOSHUA LEVINE

ANY PARISIAN WHO

has put brush to canvas has likely bought paints at Sennelier (3 Quai Voltaire; magasin sennelier.net). Well, since 1887 anyway, which is when chemist and colorist Gustave Sennelier opened his shop just across from the Louvre. Former clients include Picasso, Cézanne and Degas.

The word chemisier, or shirtmaker, was coined for

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Joseph-Christophe Charvet, who opened the world’s first shirt store in 1838. Charvet (28 Place Vendôme; charvet.com) has made shirts for such notables as Baudelaire, Churchill and Gary Cooper.

The Noël family began embroidering linen in 1883. New owners took over the house of Noël (1 Ave. Pierre Premier de Serbie; noel-paris. com) 110 years later, but the shop still draws on the 13,000 patterns in its

JUNE 2019 / TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM

archives for its exquisite collections.

The 150,000 woodblocks at Zuber & Cie.’s factory, in the Alsatian town of Rixheim, are classified as French historical monuments. The firm has been using them since 1797 to print panoramic landscapes— Brazilian jungles, Swiss mountains— on wallpaper. Stroll by the Paris showroom (36 Rue Bonaparte; zuber.fr) to pick up a roll or two.

In a city dedicated to providing aesthetic pleasure, it’s no surprise that some of the best bookshops highlight art, fashion and photography.

BY SAR AH MOROZ

At Librairie Marian Goodman (66 Rue du Temple; mariangoodman.com), a sleek and slender bookstore across the street from the influential Galerie Marian Goodman in the Marais, you’ll find monographs on such artists as Gerhard Richter and John Baldessari, as well as a smattering of limited-edition art objects, like a Maurizio Cattelan scarf. A few blocks away, Le Comptoir de l’Image (44 Rue de Sévigné) is overstuffed with teetering stacks of vintage issues of Vogue Italia, The Face and other collector bait. The wooden shelves bow under the strain of fashion books, including out-of-print titles by such photographers as Louise DahlWolfe, Herb Ritts and Walter Pfeiffer.

The prestigious auction house Artcurial (7 Rond-Point des ChampsÉlysées; artcurial.com), which occupies a stately 19th-century mansion, has its own bookshop, with titles on art, sculpture, ceramics and furniture, including catalogues for current auctions. You’ll find a more cutting-edge sensibility at Le Bal Books (6 Impasse de la Défense; lebalbooks.com), which adjoins an art space of the same name. The neatly edited selection includes titles, many of them signed, from independent presses, zines from around the globe and rare editions.

Librairie Marian Goodman, an art bookstore in the Marais.

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CENTRE COMMERCIAL This multi-label boutique, founded by the owners of sustainable shoe brand Veja, specializes in colorful, casual clothing for men and women, including labels like Saint James, Roseanna and Common Projects. 2 Rue de Marseille; centrecommercial.cc.

HIRCUS Think of this as the Everlane of Paris: luxurious garments— including grade-A Mongoliancashmere tops, sweaters and jackets for men and women— at reasonable prices, made using transparent production methods. 29 Rue Beaurepaire; hircus.fr.

MEDECINE DOUCE At this boutique and atelier, jeweler Marie Montaud crafts an ever-rotating line of sleek accessories, from gold-plated brass hoop earrings with chiseled metal beads to ultrathin rings in 18-karat gold dotted with diamonds or precious stones. 10 Rue de Marseille; bijouxmedecine douce.com.

BALIBARIS With timeless cuts and wellmade fabrics, this menswear label straddles everyday apparel and business casual in a subdued, classically Parisian color palette. 14 Rue de Marseille; balibaris.com.

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MAKE MY LEMONADE With its pastel pink-and-green interior, this is the first brickand-mortar shop from designer Lisa Gachet, whose penchant for vibrant prints and retro fashions has earned her a following online. 61 Quai de Valmy; makemylemonade.com.

OXBOW France’s leading brand of surf clothing now has a flagship, with wetsuits, swimsuits and accessories for stand-up paddleboarders. 31 Rue Beaurepaire; oxbowshop.com.

FROM LEFT: Make My

Lemonade, a new clothing boutique; earrings from Medecine Douce.

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Small, independent stores have been opening all over this bohemian quarter, transforming it into a dynamic shopping destination.

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THE INSIDER

DANIEL BOULUD

Chef and restaurant owner MY WIFE loves tea. You can find Mariage Frères in many places these days, but they have a unique blend at their salon in the Fourth Arrondissement (35 Rue du Bourg-Tibourg; mariagefreres.com). We bring hot chocolate from Angelina (226 Rue de Rivoli; angelina-paris.fr) back to New York—our kids adore it. La Chambre aux Confitures (multiple locations; lachambreaux confitures.com) sells its own wonderful seasonal fruit jams, as well as honey and a range of chocolate spreads.

La Bovida (36 Rue Montmartre; labovida. com) is like a huge supermarket for cooking supplies. It’s where I used to go as a young chef to see all the new equipment.

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GUIDE SHOPPING

Rue Bachaumon t

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Kiliwatch Paris

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Some of the many fragrances available at Nose perfumery; the boutique uses a library of reference scents to guide customer selections.

G. DETOU A favorite of gourmands since the 1950s, this shop is packed with hardto-find pantry items.

Baking ingredients are a specialty, from silver dragées to chocolate bars from heritage French brands like Voisin and Weiss. 58 Rue Tiquetonne; 33-1/42-36-54-67.

THE INSIDER

CLARA MOLLOY Cofounder of Memo Paris fragrances

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KILIWATCH PARIS A mainstay for Parisian tastemakers looking for casual clothes, this concept store stocks pieces from French labels like Avoc and April 77, as well as accessories and vintage items.

64 Rue Tiquetonne; kiliwatch.paris.

Rue É

I LOVE SHOPPING in the First Arrondissement in the area around my store, Memo Paris (24 Rue Cambon; memoparis.com). There’s a fantastic lingerie brand, Cadolle (4 Rue Cambon; cadolle.com), run by the same family for generations. I also like Fauré Le Page (21 Rue Cambon; faurelepage.com), which makes beautiful leather handbags. For clothes, Le Bon Marché (24 Rue de Sèvres; 24sevres.com) is one of the go-to destinations in Paris. It has a great selection of on-trend designers.

L’Écume des Pages (174 Blvd. St.-Germain; ecumedespages.com) is one of my favorite bookshops in Paris. I appreciate that it’s open late at night.

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I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y M AY PA R S E Y

CHRISTOPHE ROBIN This French hairstylist’s products are cult favorites. The shop at his salon is grand yet inviting, with retro furnishings and a welcoming staff. The focal point is a shellshaped sink that resembles a Renaissance fountain, where customers can have their hair washed and sample the wares.

16 Rue Bachaumont; christophe-robin.com.

DE MARSEILLE ET D’AILLEURS Located in a covered arcade that evokes a scene from a Balzac novel, this fragrant boutique offers handcrafted soaps as well as a small selection of personal-care and beauty products.

1 Passage du GrandCerf; demarseilleet dailleurs.com.

Pa ssa ge du Gr an d-C erf

G. Detou

The area near the Étienne Marcel Métro stop in the Second Arrondissement has a number of small boutiques and a welcome lack of crowds. BY R ACHEL FELDER

NOSE This perfumery offers more than 500 scents—including options from Aether, Miller et Bertaux, and Heeley—but the assortment never seems overwhelming, thanks to a clean layout and a knowledgeable team. 20 Rue Bachaumont; nose.fr.

De Marseille et d’Ailleurs

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QUARTIER MONTORGUEIL

Christophe Robin

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Nose

NOUVEAUX RICHES

Sift through the latest fashions at Galeries Lafayette—and get up close to its centuries-old architecture. BY EL AINE SCIOLINO

GALERIES L AFAYETTE, the grand department store complex in central Paris, is a must-visit, but not just for shopping. It’s also an architectural masterpiece: a neoByzantine dome designed by the Art Nouveau school of Nancy early in the 20th century. Soaring 42 meters above the topmost floor, the stained glass metal frame is carved with elaborate floral motifs.

You can now get closer to the dome via the Glasswalk, which opened late last year. Suspended 15 meters in the air, the 10-meterlong bridge has a glass strip in the floor for viewing the action below.

Here you can spot the coats of arms on the base of the dome, which represent the 10 French cities that were most important in the textile industry a century ago.

A more self-indulgent way to enjoy the view is on the balcony at Kaspia, a branch of the restaurant on Place de la Madeleine. Caviar is the specialty, though a plate of tarama with a flute of champagne is no less perfect. Head to the Ice Cube Bar on the rooftop terrace for cocktails and arguably the best free-of-charge view of the city.

Galeries Lafayette carries 3,500 clothing brands, beauty products and housewares. If you need the perfect handbag but haven’t chosen a designer, you can find offerings from Bottega Veneta to Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Unlike some boutiques, where you can only look at the products, here you can touch them and try them on for fun. On rainy days it’s a great place to lift your spirits. galerieslafayette.com.

©2019 Marriott International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. St. Regis and their logos are the trademarks of Marriott International, Inc., or its affiliates.

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The main atrium of Galeries Lafayette.

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UPGRADE JUNE 2019

T R AV E L

S M A R T E R

I L L U S T R AT I O N B Y C H O T I K A S O P I TA R C H A S A K . S O U R C E I L L U S T R AT I O N : F R E E P I K

Mile-High Club First class isn’t the only way to fly.

How about flat beds, chefs and your own crew on one-of-a-kind trips that let you skip the customs line? Private-jet tours are taking well-heeled travelers for the most luxurious cultural exchanges.

BY JENNY HEWETT

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UPGR ADE

“ONCE I GET YOU UP THERE, where the air is rarefied, we’ll just glide, starry-eyed,” croons Frank Sinatra in his 1958 hit Come Fly With Me. Those lyrics may have heralded the so-called golden age of air travel, but they still speak to the way the journey is often as important as the destination. Today, a new era of aviation has emerged that’s reigniting the spirit of flying.

Personalized, multi-stop, private-jet adventures are now the epitome of luxury travel, with some of the world’s most exclusive hotels offering around-the-world tours in gorgeously outfitted planes. “We’re focused on elevating travel above the ordinary,” says Javier Loureiro, director of guest experience at Four Seasons Private Jet. “We tap into our rich network of local contacts in each destination to provide insider access to exclusive excursions that are customized and authentic.” Here are five you’ll want to pack your bags (and maybe liquidate your assets) for.

AMAN ASIAN CRADLES OF CIVILISATION

Wheels up: October 2019 Where: China to Sri Lanka.

One of the world’s most exclusive luxury hotel brands takes Amanjunkies sky-high on an immersive 12-day cultural and spiritual adventure through China, Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka. This hotel-hopping private-jet tour unlocks some of Asia’s most remote areas and historic sites, with mind-blowing stays at a marathon eight Aman properties. After departing from Shanghai, the second stop is hilltop hideaway Amandayan in the ancient Yunnan city of Lijiang for cocktails and a calligraphy lesson. In Bhutan, guests are treated to a private blessing by a monk and then take in the scenic landscape on a full-day hike to Tiger’s Nest. Bedding down in luxury tents at wilderness camp Aman-i-khas in tiger sanctuary Ranthambore, guests also have the chance to spot crocodiles, leopards and jackals on an open-top Jeep safari. The 19-seater jet accommodates 16 people and features luxe leather seating and lounge areas. aman.com/expeditions/private-jet/pan-asiaoctober; contact Aman for pricing.

Aman’s Airbus ACJ 318.

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COURTESY OF AMAN (2)

Amanwella, in southern Sri Lanka.

FOUR SEASONS TIMELESS ENCOUNTERS

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS; AL AMY STOCK PHOTO

Wheels up: March 13 to April 5, 2020.

Where: Kona to London.

Tick some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Taj Mahal and Sydney Opera House, off your bucket list on this this 24-day, nine-destination voyage with Four Seasons Private Jet. Starting in Hawaii, this once-in-a-lifetime tour mixes in tropical frolics on Bora Bora and Bali with urban experiences in some of the cosmopolitan centers of the universe. Enjoy a spine-tingling private concert at the theater where Mozart performed in Prague, cruise down the Thames in London at twilight, and get a bird’s-eye view of Dubai from a seaplane. Between destinations, guests kick back on the 52-person luxury jet, which is staffed with an eight cabin crew, three pilots, a guest experience director, a doctor and an executive chef. Menus, inspired by the destinations, come complete with wine pairings and seats lie fully f lat, with custom-made Mongolian blankets, mattress toppers, duvets, crisp linens and goose-down pillows ensuring plenty of shut-eye. fourseasons.com/privatejet/journeys/timelessencounters-2020/; from US$147,000 per person based on double occupancy.

The Four Seasons Private Jet social area.

The Taj Mahal is one stop on the 24-day tour.

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Falcon 900XE seats just eight guests.

The Touring Treasures trip visits The Whitsundays.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AROUND THE WORLD BY PRIVATE JET

Wheels up: December 28 to January 20, 2020 Where: Washington, D.C., to Marrakech.

The next best thing to having David Attenborough as your seat-mate, this aroundthe-world tour is hosted by a team of National Geographic experts and explorers. Departing from Washington, D.C., in a reconfigured Boeing 757, with 75 VIP leather seats with adjustable head- and leg rests and a 45-degree recline, this trip takes in 15 unesco heritage sites in 11 destinations, including Samoa, Petra, Morocco, the Serengeti Plain and the Great Barrier Reef. While staying at some of the world’s most coveted accommodations— such as a National Geographic Unique Lodges of the World on Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater—guests will learn about the latest developments in marine biology, anthropology, archaeology and paleontology.

On hand to provide expert insights and education are a photographer and filmmaker, a geographer and an art historian, while the f light crew includes an expedition chef, a physician and a dedicated luggage handler. nationalgeographic.com/expeditions/ destinations/around-the-world/private-jet/ around-the-world-jet-tour/; from US$98,940 per person.

SEAMLESSLY BY TOURING TREASURES

Wheels up: October 2019 Where: Around Australia.

With its luxury Dassault Falcon 900XE jet limited to just eight guests, this 21-day tour is one of the most inspiring ways to see Oz. Pairing pinch-yourself experiences with stays at the country’s top-end hotels, such as Saffire Freycinet in Tasmania and Southern Ocean Lodge in Kangaroo Island, the itinerary succinctly captures the soul and spirit of the land Down Under. “We combine helicopters, superyachts and private jets to cover a vast area in an exciting and luxurious way,” says Suzy Mercien-Ferol, co-founder of Touring Treasures. “Guests will have a bragging list for multiple opportunities that few rarely see, such as the Paspaley Pearl farms, which are accessible only by seaplane.” Enjoy five-star meals and spa treatments, and don’t even think about touching your luggage. “Our tours offer opportunity to spend more time on experiences and less time in queues.” touring treasures.com; from US$85,772 per person.

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Explore Petra, one of 15 UNESCO sites on the trip.

F R O M T O P : C O U R T E S Y O F S E A M L E S S LY B Y T O U R I N G T R E A S U R E S ( 2 ) ; S T U A R T B L A C K /A L A M Y S T O C K P H O T O

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THE ANANTARA PRIVATE JET EXPERIENCE

Wheels up: Whenever you want—it’s a charter Where: Maldives, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

MJets’ speedy Cessna Citation X.

Rest easy inside the aircraft.

Above the Fray

COURTESY OF MJE TS (2)

Helicopter taxis cut the commute.

By Stephanie Zubiri Time may be money, but being an iconic Asian megapolis often comes at a price: mega-traffic.

These cities have taken to the sky to beat the rush hour.

ASCENT URBAN AIR MOBILITY Manila With regular daily flights focusing on peak hours, the brandnew Ascent has a way to save you from the Philippine capital’s mind-boggling congestion while taking advantage of the high number of helipads. This oddly economical by-theseat service lets you travel to and from the three main CBDs of Metro Manila— Bonifacio Global City, Makati and Quezon

City—and the airport, in around 15 minutes.

Ride-sharing flights start from US$130. ascent.flights.

HELICITY BY WHITESKY AVIATION Jakarta Anyone who’s suffered the pain of only being able to make two meetings a day if you’re lucky in Jakarta will rejoice at this fleet of new Bell helicopters ready to serve more than 18 destinations around the city center and its environs. Helicity is a

Anantara has teamed up with bespoke aviation experts MJets to offer chartered private jet tours of the Indian Ocean.

Combining stays at two signature properties at the highest-end of their luxury spectrum, this experience is fine-tuned right down to the VIP personal security service (upon request), fast-track permit applications and reduced immigration wait times. From your privateisland base at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas, dive with whale sharks and mantas inside a unesco Biosphere Reserve in the Maldives by day and enjoy a private stargazing session by night before retiring to your huge overwater bungalow. The sprawling Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle Resort, in Sri Lanka, offers Ayurvedic wellness at a one of the largest hotel spas in Asia, gastronomic cooking classes and world-class surfing. MJets has two private jets for charter: a Gulfstream V, which accommodates larger groups and has showers and fully reclining beds, and an eight-person Cessna Citation X, one of the fastest business jets in the world. Charters depart from Bangkok and can be bookended with stylish sleepovers at one of the three Anantara properties in the Thai capital. mjets.com; price on request.

long-awaited solution to the infamous gridlock; although bookings need to be made in advance, buying a membership confers discounts of up to 15 percent.

Prices per head are very accessible, starting at Rp12,000,000 for 5 people. whitesky. co.id/helicity.

SKY SHUTTLE Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzen Hong Kong has impressively efficient and diverse public

transport—from those precarious doubledeckers to vintage ferries—and the zippy taxis are speed-demons on smart roads, but nothing is quicker than the air. Sky Shuttle runs 42 flights a day between Hong Kong and Macau, and four daily between Macau and Shenzen Airport, meaning it’s incredibly easy to make all your appointments and your outbound plane.

Flights start at HK$4,300 one way. skyshuttlehk.com.

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DEALS

T+L READER SPECIALS

BEACH VIETNAM

La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc Spend your summer days in a French colonial–style mansion and spoil yourself with either a gastronomic or wellness treat.

Book at least two consecutive nights at La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc and get buffet breakfast; round-trip airport transfers; a welcome drink; welcome fruit trays; daily complimentary drinks for two; morning wellness activities, including yoga by the sea and Vietnamese massage workshops; and beach club excursions to Sao Beach.

Guests can also choose between a complimentary set dinner for two at FrenchIndochine restaurant The Peppertree or a 60-minute spa treatment for two at the La Veranda Spa. The Deal Summer Promotion: a night in a Deluxe Garden room, from US$155, through October 31.

Two-night minimum. laverandaresorts.com.

This month, plan ocean escapes to Phu Quoc, Uluwatu or Langkawi, or book discounted unique stays in cities from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur.

La Veranda is an oasis on Phu Quoc.

SUPERSAVER YotelAir, Singapore

Experience the new YotelAir in the just-launched Jewel Changi Airport and get a special discount. With 130 cabins, the airport rest-stop includes self check-in/checkout kiosks; a 24/7 gym; shower-only cabins; space-saving smart beds; fast Wi-Fi; rain showers; and the brand’s signature social space, Komyuniti.

The Deal Opening Rate: a night in a Premium Queen cabin, from S$140, four-hour stay from S$80, through July 31. yotel.com.

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INDONESIA

Alila Uluwatu The thought of a group vacation shouldn’t make you sweat, and with this allinclusive package from Alila Villas Uluwatu, your next big getaway will be entirely stress-

FROM TOP: COURTESY OF L A V ER ANDA RESORT PHU QUOC; COURTESY OF YOTEL AIR SINGAPORE

SOUTH KOREA

Shilla Jeju Take a break on this idyllic Korean island with a package from Shilla Jeju. The deal includes accommodation in a Standard Mountain View room; breakfast for two at selected F&B outlets (free for children under 37 months); complimentary access to Soombi Spa Zone (including indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the adult pool, Jacuzzis and the Finland Sauna).

The Deal Sweet Dream in Jeju: a night in a Standard Mountain View room, from W290,000, through December 31. shilla.net.

free. The deal includes daily breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner, all available at the resort’s signature fine-dining and traditional warung-style restaurants. The threebedroom villa can fit up to six guests, and each has panoramic ocean views.

Guests will also get a 60-minute spa treatment each, return airport transfers, and a car for local sightseeing. The Deal All-Inclusive Escape package: a night in a threebedroom villa, from US$2,000 inclusive of taxes, through December 31. Maximum six guests. alilahotels.com.

OUTDOOR

C O U R T E S Y O F G R A N D H YAT T E R AWA N B A N G K O K

MALAYSIA

The Datai Langkawi This golfing getaway pairs a round at the Els Club Teluk Datai with luxurious accommodation at the recently refurbished The Datai Langkawi. The deal includes two nights in a Canopy Deluxe room; daily breakfast for two; return airport transfers; shuttle from the resort to the golf course; one round of golf for two at the 18-hole, 72-par Els Club Teluk Datai golf course, excluding caddie; one time pre-dinner drinks for two at The Lobby Lounge or The Beach Bar; one time set dinner for two persons at a venue of choice at the resort; complimentary minibar (excluding spirits); guided morning or evening nature walks; and more. The Deal The Datai Els Golf Exclusive: two nights in a Canopy Deluxe room, from RM6,030, through December 19. thedatai.com.

and supplies them with floral garlands, candles and scents to pay proper respect. After a Thai-style afternoon tea at the hotel’s elegant Erawan Tea Room, set out for an afternoon of retail therapy, armed with a map and discount vouchers to various shopping centers in the area. The Deal Eat, Pray, Shop package: a night in a King Bed room, from Bt6,100.

Book before December 31 and stay before February 29, 2020. grandhyatterawan bangkok.com.

HONG KONG

The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong Treat yourself to some of the finest fare at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong.

To celebrate the reopening of the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant Amber last month, the foodie-focused experience includes a seven-course dinner for two at Amber (excluding beverages); daily champagne breakfast at Somm;

accommodation in an L900 Landmark suite; late checkout until 4 p.m.; and priority reservations at the hotel’s lauded Japanese eateries Sushi Shikon and Kappo Rin. The Deal The Great Gourmet Escape package: a night in an L900 Landmark suite, from HK$9,888, through December 31. Two-night minimum. mandarinoriental.com.

Sheraton Hong Kong Explore beyond the city limits with this special package from Sheraton. The deal includes accommodation in one of the hotel’s five suite types; HK$500 dining credits to be used at the hotel’s restaurants and bars; and 50 percent off a Splendid Tour, where you can explore the New Territories or Lantau, or go on an Aberdeen night cruise. If you’re traveling as a family, this deal offers a complimentary rollaway bed upon request, and if you sign up as Marriott Bonvoy member, you’ll also get free buffet

breakfast for a child under six.

The Deal Stay & Savour Suite Package: a night in an Executive King suite, from HK$2,850, through December 31. marriott.com.

MALAYSIA

Banyan Tree Kuala Lumpur To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Banyan Tree brand, the Kuala Lumpur outpost has an exceptional birthday promotion. The deal offers 25 percent off the Best Available Rate, spa and food and beverage purchases. In addition guests can choose from one of the following options: learn to create your own foot scrub in a 30-minute workshop; enjoy afternoon tea for two at Altitude lounge; or learn the traditions of batik and make your very own masterpiece. The Deal Banyan Tree 25th Anniversary Offer: a night in a Banyan Retreat King room, from RM727, through December 18. Two-night minimum. banyantree.com.

CITY THAILAND

Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok Combine some retail therapy with a dose of culture on your next visit to the Thai capital.

Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok’s Eat, Pray, Shop package takes guests on a private guided tour to the nearby Erawan Shrine,

The Grand Hyatt Erawan’s airy lobby.

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Return to Paradise Boracay is back, cleaner and greener than ever.

But what are the other implications when a popular tourist haunt shuts down for a reboot?

Stephanie Zubiri returns to the island to see if this Philippines favorite can preserve its soul along with its shores.

PHOTOGR A PH E D BY FR A NCISCO GUER R ERO

At the private pool of the Presidential Villa in Shangri-La Boracay's Resort and Spa.

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CONFESS I WAS a little anxious as I sat there on the plane. It was going to be the first time I’d see Boracay again after a long period. I loved it once, had been infatuated by the magic and seemingly endless possibilities. My memory bank is highlighted by long twilit walks with my first love on the beach, inebriated sunrises that pushed my sensory boundaries, raucous and joyful dinners with my entire family followed by hours of dancing on the shore to ring in countless new years. To me, Boracay has always been a place where you could be whatever you wanted to be.

Flourlike white beaches famed throughout Asia, crystalline turquoise waters, that laidback island lifestyle set against her iconic golden sunset... Boracay was known not just for its party scene but also offering a true connection to the island. Its life as a holiday destination began in the late ’70s when it appeared in the film Too Late The Hero, and in a quick decade it became a popular stop for backpackers and adventure travelers. By the 1990s, it was fully on the tourist map—yet, even then, people walked on the sand, danced barefoot under the moonlight, lived close to the shore.

It was paradise. Until it was not. Time took its toll. Bad choices and a rough period—the easy geniality having hardened by fast business and a loose lifestyle. My once-deep love dwindling, I began only returning gingerly and was always left with a bit of disappointment afterwards.

Eventually things really went off the rails. Rapid, unrestricted development, mass uncontrolled tourism—the infamous May 1 anything-goes trashy-party “Laboracay” tradition became symbolic rather than an anomaly. Insane commercialization left little of the Boracay I once knew. What did paradise have left to offer when its sands were littered with cigarette butts and broken beer bottles, the easy-breezy visitor demographic taken over by bucket-list tour groups in matching baseball caps, and the deceivingly clear waters tainted with E-coli? It’s a question many beloved places are needing to ask themselves these days, as

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overdevelopment and overtourism have marred many of the region’s most beautiful destinations, from Angkor to parts of Bali.

Hard choices have to be made, a delicate balance of what’s best for a country’s economy and its—the world’s, really—environment. In Thailand, for example, Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi, made famous by the Leonardo di Caprio movie The Beach and visited by a shocking 4,000 people a day trampling its coral, has had its closure extended to 2021 “until natural resources return to normal.” Bad for Instagram, good for everything else.

This came in the wake of the Philippines’ decision to shut Boracay to tourism last April, for six months, but with no real guarantee that it would reopen. An estimated 1.7 million visitors a year proved far too many for a 10-square-kilometer idyll. “As long as there is shit coming out of those pipes, I will never give you the time of day to return to the island,” President Rodrigo Duterte proclaimed in reference to the 716 out 834 businesses and residences that were said to be dumping their sewage into the waters. And so, Boracay was sent to rehab.

Now I was heading back, ostensibly to evaluate how an iconic tourist destination could reinvent itself cleaner and greener. But, on a more personal level, to see if I could fall in love all over again with the island of my youth.

“I WAS DEVASTATED, and afraid of the future,” says Djila Winebrenner, owner of The Lazy Dog and 15-year resident of Boracay.

“All we knew was that there was going to be no income.” Sitting in the café of her Bulabog-side B&B, a Boracay institution, Djila expresses what everyone on the island was feeling last year: insecurity. Some businesses were more prepared to weather the tourism drought, while others have been forced to shutter themselves permanently.

The way the shutdown was originally positioned made many longtime residents and business owners uncomfortable. “The government, the media, the netizens—they all called us greedy, they said we were breaking the law. That hurt a lot of people, because for years we were clamoring for attention from the government to address overdevelopment issues and we never got it,” Djila says. In the end, personal feelings aside, she sees net benefit to the closure. “I’m glad it happened, because it may not have happened at all.”

Cold turkey seemed to be the only way and, coming out of rehabilitation, Boracay is looking well. You can see that whatever trauma it has been through, the necessary treatments

The shallows in front of Crimson Resort and Spa. CLOCKWISE FROM BELOW: Eco-transport at Station X; Mosaic restaurant at Crimson; grilled octopus at The Lind. OPPOSITE: Island trike taxis.

Soothing hues in The Lind Hotel.

OPPOSITE: Fresh oysters from Street Market in Station X.

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WHIL E A DIFFER EN T GROOV E FROM TH E OR IGI NA L BOR ACAY

I LOV ED, IT ʼS FU L L OF FR ESH, DY NA M IC EN ERGY

The bar at Station X. CLOCKWISE

FROM ABOVE LEFT:

Birdcage-chic at The Lind; in The Lind's bar; White Beach is pristine again. OPPOSITE: Rustic design at Shangri-La.

and therapies are being administered. Roads have been widened and paved. Most of the piping has been laid for proper sewage.

Electrical wires have been cleaned up.

To help the island stay on the eco-friendly track, citizens’ arrests have been authorized for litterbugs. The local government has mandated a shift to electric and solar-powered tricycles and is slowly phasing out the old passenger trikes to combat climate change, and air and noise pollution. Other measures include limiting the island’s capacity to 19,000 a day, with all visitors needing a confirmed booking from accredited hotels; watersports such as Jetskiing need to be 200 meters away from the shoreline; and no more daybeds, tables and chairs in the 30-meter-from-shore exclusion zone. Most significant is the ban on alcohol and smoking on the beaches, with Tourism Police strictly enforcing this and imposing fines.

It’s still a work in progress, particularly in the back end where construction isn’t quite done yet. Famous White Beach, however, has returned to spectacular.

Originally a string of small resorts, cute bars, restaurants and shops, White Beach is the Boracay my father is always nostalgic for.

But that’s long gone—having been replaced in later years by mass tourism tropes, cheesy banana boats out at sea. Now, cleaned of trash and debris, stripped of all the lounge chairs and tables that had encroached on her precious shores, White Beach is completely refreshed and returning to how I remember it. The architecture is no longer rustic, the vibe is not so much barefoot, but that sparkle is back. The clear waters are truly clear; tests have shown that it is now safe. The best proof of this: marine life has already returned and the massive carpets of icky green algae have been reduced to a few healthy natural tufts.

For those who know Boracay, the mood has changed. It feels more corporate, more constructed but also more peaceful and calm since they’ve been strictly enforcing curfews and noise pollution regulations. “It’s no longer ‘Party Island.’ I’m glad all the crazy parties are gone,” Djila says, but adds wistfully, “so are the good quality parties from the local community that has been here all these years and helped create that vibe.” I wonder out loud… with all these changes, what’s the draw for the longtime visitor—or even for a new one on the hunt for castaway island magic?

Just then, a shaft of light falls through the trees, directly onto Djila. Her eyes twinkle and her big warm smile returns. “It’s a bit harder to find these days,” she says, “but it’s still magical.”

BORACAY IS FAMOUS for its sunsets, and it reminds me

why while I am precariously perched on the ledge of Sirena, the cocktail bar of Shangri-La Boracay’s Resort and Spa. The sky turns a spectacular shade of orange, the golden orb kisses the sea and the shore, setting them ablaze. I feel as captivated as I ever have been.

Over the years, when things at White Beach had gotten too crazy, I called Shangri-La, in the northern part of the island, home. I’ve stayed in all room and villa types, and on this trip I am quite serendipitously in the same Treetop villa that I stayed in on my first check-in. I sleep with the curtains open so I wake with first light to the Rothkoesque, unobstructed view of ocean and sky. I requested a yoga mat, and my first morning’s practice on the terrace, under chirping birds, is one of the most amazing moments of my year to date. Balancing on my headstand, I face the verdant canopy of trees the resort has preserved, and appreciate all the efforts—protecting the island’s endangered fruit-eating bats and on-going coral rehab, for example—they’ve made to stay sustainable and close to nature.

Shangri-La Boracay celebrates its tenth anniversary this year and is better than ever. One of the few resorts on the island that has an excellent support system, this grand dame took advantage of the closure for refurbishments and repairs. No staff were let go, with many sent off for training at other Shangri-Las, a win-win. The service is impeccable, personal and warm. I come back to my villa one afternoon to a canvas set up on an easel with paints and

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Lounging at Crimson.

RIGHT: Souvenirs at Station X. OPPOSITE: Floating above the fray at Shangri-La.

brushes on a table next to a bottle of wine. A note from my villa manager, Suzette, encourages me to enjoy the sunset.

With its own cove, incredible spa, amazing wine list and F&B selection, it’s easy to never leave the property. But, as a private enclave, it’s not quite Boracay—and I need to get out to see how things have changed. Shangri-La while still peaceful is no longer solitary; its home on “Station Zero” has seen the opening of a few resorts, such as Crimson. A short walk down the beach brings you to this ultra-modern, Mediterranean white structure. Proud perpetrators of the longest happy hour on the island (10 a.m. to midnight), Crimson has fantastic food to accompany all that boozing. Think tandoori chicken with buttered naan or fresh tuna tataki. The Latin American fine-dining outlet, Mosaic, is definitely worth a visit, offering excellent grilled steaks and Peruvian tiraditos. The smoked prawn ceviche is plated beautifully and engulfed in a wispy cloud of smoke, the fresh raw prawns curing slowly in the symphony of tangy and spicy sauces that vibe with the sun streaming through the patterned window frames, Latin classic Besa Me Mucho on the stereo, and my refreshing Campari soda.

Full disclosure: I actually had been to Boracay once before right after it reopened—but our stay was so brief we only had time for one proper meal at The Lind, a contemporary, airy resort where friends were getting married. The wedding had been planned for early November and the bride and groom were crossing their

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fingers and toes that the island would be back in time. Happily, the miraculous happened and the government was true to its word, opening the island on October 26.

I was impressed with how well-oiled everything was at The Lind, considering its six-month hiatus. Our server at that time, Darwin, who is now the F&B supervisor, made sure our rosé was always delivered frosty to our balcony for sunset sessions. And I encountered one of the best dishes I’d ever eaten on the island, which left me dreaming about it for months: grilled octopus, tender yet charred, crisping the delicate tips of the tentacles, bits of smoky chorizo mingling with roasted tomatoes and the best darn romesco sauce in recent memory. I would have returned just for that meal, but the property is pretty amazing all round, with wonderful views, family-friendly facilities and a really worthy piece of real estate: daybeds on the sands.

Unlike most of their neighbors, The Lind allotted enough space for a lounge area— meaning, importantly, they adhered to proper setbacks on the beach. Sustainability has always been at the core of both The Lind and Shangri-La; their long-term efforts to reduce single-use plastics have been joined by many other establishments since the imposition of new, strict, reopening regulations.

And while The Lind’s marketing and communications manager Quino de Jesus isn’t wrong when he says, “All the resorts look pretty much the same now,” in reference to the crop of white, cement, modern buildings that have replaced the little rustic huts of yore, another change is an increased emphasis on

design. The old Filipino cliché, “What happens in Boracay, stays in Boracay,” is out the window now that everything is all about Instagram. The younger generation’s preoccupation with social media likes over actually socializing means the island is not saved from the growing need for F&B to be photogenic. But to prove that’s not all bad, visit Station X, a hip resort complex that lacks in beachfront what it makes up for in cute, quirky décor and fantastic retail concepts. The food market has a curry crab to die for, great oysters, poke bowls and Korean bingsu. Round it off with some craft coffee and cocktails. I love shopping for souvenirs at Local Color, which has thoughtfully curated, well designed products from local artists and artisans. While a very different groove from the original Boracay I loved, it’s full of fresh, dynamic energy.

A LOT OF THINGS have changed for the better and yet there

is still uncertainty in the air. Back at Bulabog beach, Djila and I walk past a whole row of boutique kitesurfing resorts that have been boarded up for the controversial reason of “easement”—the requirement that properties be 30 meters from the waterline.

We meet Ken Nacor, a local who was Asia’s No. 1 kitesurfing freestyle champion for several years. After exchanging hellos, Djila explains to me that Ken is losing his livelihood and everything he’s saved up for, with zero compensation. I look back and see him sitting in front of his establishment—one of several titled properties losing their real estate to make way for an extension of a boulevard—eerily boarded up, staring out to that paradoxically beautiful sea, hovering like a spirit in limbo over the shell of a body.

It leaves me sad and full of unanswered questions. As much I agree with the need to cure Boracay, measures should be implemented fairly and with a proper action plan to address the collateral damage. Taking titled land away from owners without recompense and without making public the intentions doesn’t sit right. It’s apiece with the new trike-taxi regulations: many locals own their individual tricycles and now, though at the lower end of the economic chain, are being told to reinvest in green-powered vehicles without assistance. It feels a bit unfair when other fossilfuel vehicles such as cars and trucks are still allowed on the island.

There’s no disputing that the main attraction, that sand so white and fine it’s unreal, is finally back to its old pure state and so are the clear, turquoise waters. I just hope the improvements are not a Trojan horse. Rumor had it that the closure was in fact preparation for the opening of a large casino, after a provisional license was

THE DETAILS STAY Crimson Resort and Spa Boracay Perfect for travelers looking for a party. crimson hotel.com; doubles from P14,000.

The Lazy Dog Cute value spot on the kitesurfing side. lazydogboracay.com; doubles from US$15.

The Lind A modern favorite

on White Beach with daybeds on the sands. thelindhotels.com; doubles from US$320.

Shangri-La Boracay’s Resort and Spa Rustic luxury, butler service and private beaches. shangri-la.com; doubles from P19,000.

EAT+DRINK Exit Bar A simple hut with a great local vibe

and eclectic music; go for last call. Station 2; drinks for two P500.

Lanterna Home Kitchen Authentic Italian private dining by chef Luigi Barbolla.

63-998/575-2540; P850 per person.

Station X / Prisma Young, hip and photogenic, global eats, good cocktails. thehuehotels.com; meal for two P1,500.

granted to Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation the month before Boracay’s closure. President Duterte, however, has been adamant about his stance against gambling on the island, pledging that no such casino would come to fruition under his term.

Even if that’s true, what happens after?

My last evening is spent on the iconic White Beach. The paraws—sailboats that are finally, thankfully devoid of advertising—dance a graceful ballet across the painterly sky. The tide is pulled back so far that the shore is like a looking glass, creating prisms of scarlet and gold. The sunset is glorious. No raucous music; instead the beach filled with good, happy energy, kids boogie-boarding, couples taking photos, a friendly pug splashing about.

The day eases seamlessly into night and I head to a party to meet some friends. In Boracay, there are always friends around. I had geared myself up for a crazy, drunken night. Friday in the middle of summer—why wouldn’t it be? But the island is calm. Our party tapers off early and, out of curiosity, I want to see if there’s perhaps anywhere else to carry on. I walk out on the beach, where instead of the usual boom boom there is a serene hush. Children are playing with lightup toys, glittering like neon falling stars on a dark sky. I take in the balmy sea air and heave a sigh. I don’t miss the blow-out, I no longer need it here. I’m happy with the chill cocktails and meaningful conversations. I’m happy with the morning yoga and mind-blowing massages. I don’t need much more than just to be at peace by the sea. Like me, the island has matured. It has transitioned from a wild, unbridled paradise to something more measured and relaxed. The immediate vibe for a visitor might be less carefree, but it feels a worthy trade for protecting the future.

Three for the Histor y Books New resorts in remote places highlight Vietnam’s diverse natural beauty while always keeping sight of its layered history and culture. Eloise Basuki covers a millennium in a three-stop trip from top to bottom tip.

PHOTOGR APHED BY LEIGH GRIFFITHS

Hilltribe meets haute-couture at new Sapa retreat Hotel de la Coupole. OPPOSITE: At Poulo Condor Resort & Spa, on Con Dao, guests can paddle on the resort’s stream.

IT’S BEEN A FEW days since Tet, Vietnam’s riotous weeklong New Year holiday, but Sapa is still in celebration mode. “There’s a festival tomorrow in Cat Cat village… you should go!” says my guide, Khu, a 20-something rice farmer from nearby Lao Chau. Khu is leading me through Matra, a Black Hmong hilltribe village five kilometers away from Sapa city, and its glut of tourists who come to hike the region’s famed rice terraces.

Guiding is Khu’s main source of income now that harvest season is over and the northern Vietnamese winter has turned much of Sapa’s iconic green fields into cascades of dirt and mud.

With farm work on hold, the locals are happy for a distraction from strangers. As we trudge past empty fields, I hear calls of “Hello!” from inside a corrugated tin shack, where a merry group of guys offers us swigs of homemade rice wine

from a recycled soft-drink bottle. My polite declines are useless against their insistent laughs, so I shrug and take a gulp. It’s Tet, after all. The wine is potent and full of funk, but goes down velvety and warm. “Some people call it alcohol,” Khu says. “We call it happy water.” Yep, the party is still on in Sapa.

Though the Google Images version of the region—lemon-lime rice-paddies rolling across hills like silk—was sadly out of season, one

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Indigo

layers on a walk in Matra village; the view from the top of Fansipan mountain; into the mist on the Fansipan cable car; a Gatsby-worthy dip at Hotel de la Coupole’s heated pool; seared duck with Vietnamese root vegetables at the hotel’s Chic restaurant; the hotel sits within the yellow Sun Plaza building, seen here from Sapa Square; murals painted by the Bensley team add 1920s flair.

bush grows year-round in Matra: the indigo plant, a defining part of the Black Hmong tribe. It steeps in deep, navy-tinted vats outside most villagers’ homes, and gives their traditional outfits that signature inky-blue hue. Khu spots a few stems growing on the side of the road and crushes the leaves into my hands with a splash of water. I rub them together as she instructs, and my hands stain a Kermit green. As the dye dries, it deepens to a light indigo.

Khu points at her midnight-blue skirt, framed with neon-pink embroidery, the traditional dress of the Black Hmong people: “It takes one year of drying for it to become this dark.”

The textile culture in Sapa, a fivehour drive northwest of Hanoi, is a strong part of what distinguishes the many ethnic minorities that live here—the scarlet headdresses of the Red Dao, the rainbow weaves of the Flower Hmong. Each tribe’s individual craft has been passed from generation to generation, and now they are embodied in a grand new space in the center of town. The Hotel de la Coupole, the first international five-star in Sapa, takes this rich tradition and runs with it; both hilltribe fabrics and French haute-couture inspired the hotel’s aesthetics, a Wes Anderson–style vision dreamed up by prolific hotel designer Bill Bensley.

This stylish ode to Sapa’s heritage is my first stop on a north-to-south tour of Vietnam that takes in three of its historic destinations: Sapa near the Chinese border, Quy Nhon in the center, and Con Dao off the Mekong Delta; one overrun with tourists, one virtually unknown, and the other infamous. As each destination gets a lavish new abode for visitors to play in, their draw is expanding beyond just historical appeal. But, for these properties, the heritage that precedes them is inherent to the high-end experience. For me, a first-time visitor to these parts, I’m happy to learn the past is still sticking around.

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T HOTEL DE LA Coupole, I spot reminders from my walk in Matra everywhere I go.

Indigo batiks cloak elevator walls, upholstery and pillows; lampshades resemble the tribe’s structured headwear and silver jewelry. Like many of Bensley’s over-the-top interiors, a stay here is like a night at the museum—the Bangkok-based designer spent five years collecting antiques from Parisian flea markets to represent the French hautecouture concept, a nod to the wealthy colonialists who used Sapa as a hilltop retreat at the turn of the last century. The lobby alone makes me gawk: 500 oversized vintage spools handspun with hilltribe threads back the concierge, and a stack of old French suitcases (including a Louis Vuitton number) are piled above.

I meet up with General Manager Jean-Pierre Joncas, who tells me I actually just missed Bensley; he had dropped off another 750 kilograms of antiques from Paris just before I arrived. “Every month he brings more things and keeps adding to it,” he says. I ask him when they’ll be done and he pauses for a second, then laughs, “I think if we waited for him to finish, it would be another five years before we could open.”

The hotel’s 249 rooms rise straight into Sapa’s perpetual cloud cover, complementing the moody design and the eponymous glass domed rooftops with a constant misty setting. During clear moments, the balcony from my emerald-painted Deluxe room frames vistas of Fansipan mountain, the highest peak on the Indochinese Peninsula, which I can, in fact, reach right from the lobby. The hotel shares space in a mixed-use building owned by Vietnamese development company Sun Group, so is just steps away from the train station to their groundbreaking cable car.

When it opened in 2017, the Fansipan cable car was the world’s

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L I K E A MIRROR FOR T H E STA R S, T H E OC E A N SHINES W I T H L IGH T S F ROM HUNDREDS OF F LOAT I NG SQU I D T R A PS

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Private infinity pools are a highlight of every Anantara Quy Nhon villa.

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Playtime in the waves off of Con Son’s main town, with Bay Canh Island, a prime turtle-nesting area, in the distance.

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longest at 6,292 meters, and made Sapa’s highest peaks more accessible for non-trekkers. The cable car glides over terraced valleys, swaying bamboo forests and cliff-side waterfalls, but Fansipan’s beauty peaks with its height. When we land, the mountaintop is swallowed in clouds. But as the bitter wind pushes the mist away, red-tiled temples, an effigy of Guan Yin the goddess of mercy, a gleaming golden Buddha, and all of Sapa below come into view.

On the way back down on the train, I can even see the crowd gathering for the party in Cat Cat, and I give a vain wave to Khu from up above.

At dinner under the cupola at the hotel’s restaurant, Chic, executive chef Basha Shalik serves dishes inspired from both Sapa and the French: my sturgeon hotpot comes with a bouillabaisse broth; a creamy mushroom soup uses only wild fungi from Sapa’s forests; pear tartine uses the pho spices of cinnamon, star anise and clove. For better or worse, Sapa has grown up. Though its small-town charm may be lost with the influx of tourists, here its legacy is still proudly on show.

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Y THE TIME I arrive in Quy Nhon, a seaside city 300 kilometers south of tourism hotspot Hoi An, night has fallen.

It’s too dark to see how pretty my new digs are at the new Anantara here, but the bay’s carpet of twinkling lights puts on an evening show just steps from my beachfront villa deck. Like a mirror for the stars, the sweep of ocean shines with lights from hundreds of floating squid traps; Quy Nhon is famous for its seafood, and I’ve been dreaming about it all the way from Sapa.

Daylight casts a finer picture of just how special this place is. The all-villa resort is the first of its kind not just for the Anantara brand, but also for the location. Though it was an important staging area for the U.S. military during the war, Quy Nhon is several hours off the beaten track from its world-famous beach neighbors Da Nang and Nha Trang.

JA DE- GR E E N JUNGLE H I L LS CROW N E M P T Y C R EST S OF SUGA RW H I T E SA N D It may seem an odd choice for an international five-star, but for Anantara, with sister brand Avani already owning the property next door, it just made sense. “We had this stretch of land, but Anantara also likes to look for unusual destinations,” director of public relations Kate Jones tells me over dinner at the resort’s grill-focused restaurant, Sea Fire Salt. “People don’t want to see what everyone else has seen before; they want something new.” But there’s also no reason Quy Nhon shouldn’t be on travelers’ bucket lists—golden sand fronts wavy blue ocean and nearby uninhabited islands, the forested hills offer virgin trekking, and ancient towers provide a peek at Vietnam’s former Champa reign.

Central Vietnam was the base of the Champa kingdom, which also covered parts of Cambodia and Laos, during the 11th to 15th centuries.

Quy Nhon’s port, Thi Nai, was an important point of trade for the empire with China, Southeast Asia and beyond. After the Vietnamese conquered the Champa people in 1471, the port town remained active, and later became a strategic military base for the Americans during the war. This history and a look at local life is weaved into every Anantara guest’s stay—when I met with Kate, she was just finalizing a fishing tour where guests set out in traditional basket boats. I get a dose on the Quy Nhon Explorer experience, guided by Huy, a local to the region and also the hotel’s guest relations manager. We visit the Banh It Champa towers that sprout up on a hill from the region’s flat farmlands. The skinny, burnt orange–brick towers were built by the people around the 11th century as a place to worship their gods and

ancestors, and to pray for protection from droughts and floods. Inside the tallest tower, Huy tells me not to mind the bats screeching above us in the triangular-roof’s abyss or the scribble of graffiti on the walls—the scrawled devotion of local lovers over the years—and instead lights me an incense stick, points at the statue of Shiva and tells me to make a wish.

We also visit the sprawling Tien Hung pagoda, still bustling with Tet revelers, and the dilapidated remnants of Quy Nhon’s former leper colony—a still functioning hospital and peaceful memorial on a quiet stretch of Quy Hoa Beach.

Though this history is fascinating, my favorite part of the tour is just watching everyday life roll out. We visit a small incense factory, where a score of women swathe thousands of bamboo sticks in a fragrant cinnamon coating, then lay bundles to dry beneath the hot sun. We order a drip coffee from Huy’s favorite café, and watch the world go by.

At lunch I get my seafood fix at local joint Anh Vu Tom Ngai, famous for Quy Nhon–style banh xeo topped with tom ngai, jumping shrimp. Here in Central Vietnam, the rice-milk crepes are plain white without the yellow addition of turmeric. They’re also smaller than most of the versions I’d eaten elsewhere in Vietnam, cooked in a disc-sized pan that’s overflowing with so much bubbling oil it catches on fire, searing the cakes with a lick of char. I layer my banh xeo with a bouquet of herbs and slivers of green mango, roll up the crisp pancakes in delicate rice paper, then dunk them in the pineapple-spiked fish sauce—the condiment of choice here in Quy Nhon. One bite in and I tell Huy we’re going to need another helping.

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I spend the rest of my visit swanning around my villa, taking advantage of my wine cellar, and mini bar stocked with deli cheeses and cured meats, and cooling off with dips in my private pool. One lunchtime, Sea Fire Salt’s executive chef Thu teaches me how to make banh xeo, though I’m not as liberal with the lashings of oil that made Anh Vu’s so addictive. Another morning, Anantara’s head of security, Phuc, gives us a beachside lesson in the local martial art Viet Vo Dao, of which he’s Quy Nhon’s master. Surprisingly, I’m more coordinated than I thought I’d be, and the swift flow of movements sends a bolt of strength through my body. This string of villas may have opened up Quy Nhon as a new luxury destination off Vietnam’s well-trod path, but here, it seems, I don’t have to worry about the local culture slipping away because of it.

I

t’s my first day of island life on Con Dao, but I can’t stop blinking away tears. This southern archipelago just a scenic 45-minute prop-plane flight from Saigon has everything you pine for in paradise—jade-green jungle hills crown empty crests of sugar-white sand that give way to the bluest oceans and even a baby turtle or 200—but the sting of the island’s dark past is sobering.

For more than a century until 1975, Con Son, the largest island of the group, was a prison complex rife with inhumanity—violent beatings, unthinkable torture and countless executions. It started with the French, who were ceded the island during the Versailles Treaty in 1861 and used the prison to house thousands of political dissidents, including Vietnamese Nationalist Phan Chau Trinh, an early resister of the French occupation. When the Americans arrived, they transferred the prisons to the South Vietnamese to hold communists and Viet Cong, as well as students, writers and other opposing voices. “There are 8,000 people living on this island, but there are more than 20,000

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spirits,” says Huong Bach, the assistant resort manager at Poulo Condor Boutique Resort & Spa, about those who died in the 113 years of Con Dao’s history of incarceration.

Over the past generation, Con Dao has transformed its image, becoming a lush escape for Saigon holidaymakers, with a Six Senses staking claim in 2009 as the luxury resort of choice for most expats and in-the-know tourists. Since it opened in 2017, Poulo Condor offers this same contemporary high-end service with a heritage slant. Taking the French name of the island, the resort arranges its 36 suites and villas like a quaint colonial village, with signposted streets—Rue de Tourane, Rue de Cochin and Rue de Tonkin—leading guests to whitewashed cottages, a lake carpeted in flamingo-pink lotus flowers, an infinity pool with a mountain backdrop, and, out front, that sapphire South China Sea shoreline lapping at kilometers of empty, surprisingly deck-chairless, soft, white sand.

Today, this natural beauty is eclipsing Con Dao’s scars, offering access to some of the country’s best marine life. Neighboring Bay Canh Island is a day-tripper’s dream, covered in protected rainforest and edged with vibrant reefs where snorkelers and divers of all levels can spot manta rays, dolphins, a possible whale shark, and, of course,

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the archipelago’s famous green sea turtles, who lay their eggs across the islands from May to October.

After a refreshing dip in the resort’s strip of Vong Beach, I spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the 30-hectare jungle property by bike, kayaking along the in-resort stream, and ending the day with a blissful few hours in the lake-view spa where I try my first-ever cupping session. In my Colonial suite, a spacious one-bedroom furnished with wooden antiques and European art, plus a full bath and

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Quy

Nhon’s Thien Hung pagoda; jumping shrimp banh xeo; fishing boats in front of Anantara at sunrise; Phuc, a master of Viet Vo Dao, leads a lesson on Anantara’s beach; the resort’s Sea Fire Salt restaurant has ginger, green tea and 13 more salt flavors; the beach at Six Senses; incense at a factory in Quy Nhon.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A

traditional basket boat in Quy Nhon; finding the hidden entrance to Con Dao’s French Tiger Cages; the cottages at Poulo Condor feel like French colonial homes; crab paste noodle soup at Bun Rieu Cua Ba Hai Khiem in Con Son’s main town.

OPPOSITE: Pops of nostalgia at Poulo Condor.

outdoor rain shower, it’s easy to lose yourself in the romanticism of the French era. But the island’s past is not disconnected here, rather, it’s intrinsic: the owner, Le Ngoc Tu, was a prisoner on Con Dao, serving three years of a 20-year sentence. Along with his daughter, Le Ngoc Quynh, who decorated the resort’s interiors with antiques she handpicked from Saigon’s vintage stores, the pair opened Poulo Condor as a tribute. “[My father] wanted to give thanks to the island,” Quynh says. “He was still alive after the war, but some of his friends passed away while serving their sentences.”

Huong has organized the prison tour for me with guide Van, who gives vivid recounts of how shackles chained to an iron bar bound all the inmates together inside the island’s most well-preserved prison, Phu Hai. Van tells me the legendary story of teenage heroine Vo Thi Sau, who became a guerilla fighter for the Viet Minh in 1948, and even managed to lob a few grenades at the French before she was executed at Phu Hai at the age of 19. Today, she’s an icon and has her own shrine where worshippers, mostly from the north,

come to offer her expensive jewelry, makeup, designer handbags and fancy dresses in exchange for prayers and blessings. Vo Thi Sau has pride of place at the Con Dao cemetery, where most other graves remain nameless, and Van tells me that the few who have tried to destroy her headstone have all been mysteriously haunted to their untimely deaths.

It’s at the French Tiger Cages where I break. Surrounded by a larger fortress, the block of 70 pantry-sized cells for more than 500 prisoners was hidden from outsiders, and only discovered after a group of imprisoned students was released and drew a map for U.S. congressional aide to Saigon Tom Harkin to investigate. I walk above

the cages with open, barred tops, designed so guards could jab the prisoners with sticks to keep them awake, or throw dirty water on them during cold nights. Next door, in the solariums—roofless outdoor cells— posed mannequins curled up in pain help visitors envisage the real prisoners burned to their flesh from sitting under the sun for days on end. It’s not somewhere I feel I can linger for very long, but as I walk to the exit and notice a woman sitting on the ground softly singing, I pause. Van says she’s chanting a Buddhist hymn, a blessing for the former prisoners. The tears roll.

On my last day I hire a motorbike and cruise around the cliffs of the island for a dose of current island life. In the breaking dawn, locals

I R I DE T O SECRET BE AC H ES F L A N K E D

BY A TANGLE OF M A NGROV ES THE DETAILS GETTING THERE I started my journey in Hanoi, from which you can take a sleeper train (eight hours) to Lao Cai, then a 45-minute van or taxi to Sapa town. Instead, I took a five-hour, disco-lit night bus, which brought me direct from Hanoi's airport to central Sapa. Note: despite lay-flat beds, the ride was fairly sleepless. An airport in Sapa has been proposed for 2020.

For Quy Nhon, Phu Cat airport is 45 minutes away and can be reached with a direct flight from Hanoi (or Saigon).

Con Dao is a short flight from Saigon or Can Tho. Individual hotels can book transfers, or just ask your travel agent to arrange the entire journey.

Most nationalities outside of ASEAN will need to apply for a visa before traveling; check evisa.xuatnhapcanh.gov.vn.

Anantara Quy Nhon Villas The beachfront villas are a complete treat; even the bath and shower boast floor-toceiling beach views. Each villa has an in-room wine cellar, deli fridge and private pool.

Don't miss a treatment in the peaceful treetop spa the property shares with Avani. anantara.com; doubles from US$500.

Avani Quy Nhon Each of the 63 rooms in this refurbished hotel has a private balcony, and loft studios are perfect for family getaways. Avani guests have access to Anantara’s main pool during low season, and can book into Sea Fire Salt year-round. avanihotels.com; doubles from US$150.

Hotel de la Coupole A wonderland of creativity and historical design, this Bill Bensley hotel marks a new

crowd the main pier to buy fresh seafood direct from the fishermen’s boats; at the morning market, vendors hawk tropical fruits, a rainbow of Vietnamese desserts, and crusty banh mi. For lunch I drop by Huong’s family restaurant that sells authentic Con Dao–style bun rieu cua, a tomato noodle soup that her relatives start making at 2 a.m., catching fresh blue crabs and pounding the meat to make the moreish paste topping.

In the afternoon, I ride to secret beaches tucked behind dense forests all over the island—to the south, where aquamarine coves are flanked by a tangle of mangroves and fishermen nap in their rainbowstriped wooden junks; and to the cliffs above the rocky coast of Nhat Beach, where it’s said dugongs hang out in the bay. As the sun sets, I join a crowd at the small, sandy beach that flanks the pier; most wade into the sea fully clothed. Con Dao’s history is a sad one, and it’s clear no one’s forgotten it. But right here, with golden hour casting a glow over the ocean filled with everyone from old grannies to floatie-armed toddlers, the spirits are still high.

standard for Sapa. The indoor heated pool looks like it’s straight out of the Gatsby mansion, with jewel-tone tiles, 20s-era girls in murals, fourposter loungers, and huge bronze statues about to dive into the blue. accorhotels.com; doubles from VND2,400,000.

Poulo Condor Boutique Resort & Spa Privacy and serenity abound in this familyrun jungle retreat just 10 minutes from the airport.

Villas start from 107 square meters, while two-bedroom pool villas are spacious enough for families and groups, with private beach access. Guests have free use of bicycles and kayaks, and yoga can be arranged on some mornings. Don’t leave without booking in a massage with delightful spa manager Chi. poulocondorresort.com; doubles from US$170.

Six Senses Con Dao This 10-year-old property features slick wooden "shack" villas with incredible views of their pretty much private, eternally shallow, beach. Recent additions are a speedy dive boat and an incubation center for their own clutch of green sea-turtle eggs. sixsenses.com; doubles from US$680. — E.B.

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Teams of boat jousters prepare to do battle on the canal in Sète. OPPOSITE: An 1850 depiction of the sport of boat jousting. The painting hangs in Sète's Musée Paul Valéry.

IN THEIR OWN TIME

Like the rest of southern France, Languedoc has vibrant harbor towns, endless beaches and rolling vineyards. But the region’s spirit of mellow eccentricity is entirely its own—and a new generation of oddball entrepreneurs aims to keep it that way.

BY JOSHUA LEVINE | PHOTOGRAPHED BY AMBROISE TÉZENAS

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HE TINY VILLAGE of Assignan sits on the edge of the Haut Languedoc natural park, about a 40-minute drive from Béziers, which is where the TGV from Paris stops. This is fairy-tale country, with medieval stone cottages clinging to lush, tree-lined gorges and undulating, densely wooded hills that rise up toward dramatic granite peaks. Untamed nature reigns supreme—the only inhabitants you’re likely to meet on many of the local hiking and biking trails are wild sheep, knowns as mouflons, or some of the region’s 240 species of birds.

In these parts, clearings in the woods mostly mean one thing: wine. There are vineyards everywhere. Many belong to Marc Verstraete, a ruddy, good-natured fellow from Flanders who produces nine varieties of red, white and rosé at a winery that resembles a spaceship (from the air, you can see it’s actually shaped like a giant bottle).

“We looked at vineyards in Provence, but there was always something that didn’t work—too many cars, or the train ran too close,” Verstraete told me. “Finally, the agent said he had one more property in Languedoc, but he couldn’t sell it because there was just nothing there! We arrived in the evening, and it was love at first sight.”

Languedoc’s comparative emptiness and lack of development are the main reasons it isn’t as well known as Provence, its flashy, more popular neighbor. There’s a lot to be said for being overlooked, however—particularly when a place has as much to offer as this one. With its ancient forests; broad, uncrowded beaches; and buzzing, ungentrified harbor towns, Languedoc is one of the most enchanting under-the-radar regions in France. It won’t stay that way for long, however. Early adopters—like Verstraete and Guy Savoy, the celebrated chef who recently bought a vacation home in Sète, the region’s delightful port town—are already piling in, and others will surely follow.

VERSTRAETE AND I WERE sitting at a café table in Assignan’s main square, which is movie-set perfect. Narrow, winding streets lined with stone houses shaded from the summer sun: check. Leafy plane trees and that variety of lavender that fills the evening air

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: A brass band

accompanies the boat jousting in Sète; a guest room with views of the canal at Sète’s Hôtel l’Orque Bleue; vineyards near the Castigno wine estate, which offers tours and tastings; one of the restaurants at Château Castigno, a village repurposed as a hotel.

with a light incense: check. Café tables under a night sky swarming with stars, like a van Gogh painting brought to life: check.

Almost all of the village is now owned by Verstraete, who, after buying the vineyard in 2007, quickly found the project beginning to snowball. The manor house on the estate was a shambles, so he also purchased a small house in the village where he could stay during the renovation.

Then he discovered that the whole village was dying of neglect and that most of its homes were up for sale.

“So we bought a dozen and said, ‘One day we’ll do something with them,’ ” Verstraete explained breezily.

Nowhere to eat? Simple. Open a restaurant in town and get your stepson to come over from Uruguay to run it. “All the people in town said, ‘The Belgian is nuts!’ In a week there wasn’t a table free.”

Today, the Château Castigno project has completely reinvented Assignan and its surroundings. Verstraete and his wife, Tine, a former costume designer, have carefully converted stone houses into 24 hotel rooms, three restaurants (bistro, haute cuisine, and Thai—just because they love Thai food), and a spa. Verstraete, who made his money in the steel business, has channeled a lifetime’s experience as a demanding, well-heeled business traveler into the place. He and Tine each have a hotelier’s eye for detail, adding special touches like the Castigno crest stitched on hotel linens by an order of Belgian nuns known for their exquisite embroidery.

The real heart of Castigno, however, is not the hotel but its vineyards, which yield 120,000 bottles annually.

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FROM LEFT: Florent

Tarbouriech, who has developed a revolutionary method of growing oysters; the Tarbouriech oyster beds in the Étang de Thau, a lagoon near the Mediterranean; the pool at Château Castigno, with the village in the background.

perception. “I’ve seen wine around here sold for one euro a bottle. The prices are too low.”

If only younger winemakers were able to recognize its potential and focus more on quality than quantity, Verstraete said, the sky could be the limit. “The future of French wine is here,” he said. The key is getting the message across. “I want all kinds of different people to come to the hotel—young people, families—eat well, stay a week, and drive away with their trunks full of wine.”

MY TRUNK SUITABLY STOCKED, I headed south past Béziers to the Étang de Thau, the largest in a series of lagoons that line Languedoc’s Mediterranean coast, starting at the Rhône River Delta and running all the way to the Spanish border. Between the sea and the eastern end of the lagoon lies the town of Sète.

The two bodies of water are connected by several canals, which give Sète virtually unlimited options for waterside dining and a predictable nickname: the Venice of Languedoc.

But this is a place with its own identity. The Sètois call their town l’île singulière, and singular it certainly is.

Because it is home to both beach and port, the vibe in the town is pleasantly laid-back and sun-soaked, but with an artsy, industrial edge—a welcome antidote to the blingy, yacht-infested harbors of the Côte d’Azur. The main canal provides Sète with an arena for the boisterous local sport of water jousting, in which two teams of oarsmen row furiously at one another, while jousters perched on tricked-out platforms try to knock their counterparts off.

On summer Sundays, the banks are crammed with locals cheering on their neighborhood teams. It’s not a bad metaphor for Sète itself, which is homegrown (they’ve been jousting in the canal since the 1600s), slightly ramshackle, and proud of its scrappy, nonconformist character. The great songwriter Georges Brassens, beloved by the French for his scruffy, skirt-chasing ways, was born here, and in his song, “Plea to Be Buried on the Beach of Sète,” he writes: “Poor pharaohs, kings, poor Napoleon…you would envy a little the eternal vacationer… who spends his death on summer holiday.”

A trip to the beach explains why Brassens wanted to spend eternity here. Unlike the cramped beaches of the

Riviera, it is broad and sandy and runs for kilometers.

Even on a sweltering midsummer day, you can find a quiet spot. Lining the beach are big, thatched-straw bungalows, called paillotes, where the Sètois gather for rosé-lubricated lunches. I stopped at one of the more boisterous spots, La Ola, for a sublime plate of razor clams in oil with garlic and parsley.

Brassens isn’t the only iconic French artist associated with the place. The great master of French verse, Paul Valéry, was from Sète; he was buried in the Cimetière Marin, high above town on Mont St.-Clair. It is worth walking up the hill to the cemetery for several reasons.

First, the view of the town and the sea from among the jumble of old tombstones is poetry itself. Second, the Musée Paul Valéry next door celebrates both the poet and Sète’s noble lineage of painters. I lingered over two lovely canvases by Gabriel Couderc, one depicting a round of jousting on the canal and the other Valéry’s funeral, as well as a raucous contemporary piece by Robert Combas that illustrates one of Brassens’s many bawdy songs.

If you time things right, you can end up for dinner at Anne Majourel’s Michelin-starred restaurant, La

Coquerie, just outside the cemetery walls. In a town that glories in the simple preparation of its fishing catch, Majourel shows how much further you can go with some real finesse and artistry. A superb fillet of hake came in a shellfish consommé topped with a thyme, shrimp and dried tomato foam. That dish alone was worth the climb.

I BUMPED INTO MAJOUREL by accident a few days later at Domaine Tarbouriech, a handsome new hotel with a very specifically regional theme on the Étang de Thau about an hour south on the coast from Sète. The place belongs to Majourel’s friend Florent Tarbouriech, who supplies oysters to La Coquerie, as well as several other of France’s most renowned chefs. Indeed, the hotel is just the latest extension of an expanding Tarbouriech empire built on oyster shells.

If anything, Languedoc’s oysters have an even worse reputation than its wine. The region furnishes tons of them—as many as the betterknown oyster beds on the Atlantic and the English Channel. But the small Bouzigues from the Étang (their generic name is taken from a nearby town) are puny and limp, their shells lined with a dull nacre that flakes off easily.

It’s the poor man’s oyster.

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Tarbouriech grew up in Sète and dropped out of school, where he had been studying to be an engineer, to work with his dad in the oyster parcs, which is what the French call the manmade beds where oysters are cultivated. “When you’re from Sète, you’re either a fisherman or a dockworker,” Tarbouriech told me on the hotel’s veranda, overlooking the elegant swimming pool. Tarbouriech started out with mussels, which he cultivated farther out at sea than his competitors. By 2006, his Medithau corporation was supplying France’s biggest supermarkets.

But his oysters remained a down-market, commodity product.

That’s when Tarbouriech had his oyster epiphany. One of the big reasons Atlantic oysters are heartier than their Mediterranean cousins is that they spend hours a day out of the water when the ocean tides pull back. As a result, the oysters have to work harder to conserve moisture than the soggier Bouzigues.

As any gym rat will attest, strenuous exercise pumps you up, and that’s as true of oysters as it is of people. Tarbouriech wondered why he couldn’t just lift his Mediterranean oysters out of the water for protracted periods to make them work as hard as Atlantic oysters. It took him eight years to develop and install a reliable solar-powered system that could hoist tons of oysters in and out of the water every day. When he started with his father, Tarbouriech worked just four oyster parcs; now his mechanism powers 100, each 10 by 50 meters.

Tarbouriech and I sampled the fruits of his success at Saint Barth, an oyster shack that sits beside his processing plant on the lagoon. It’s a cavernous place, yet every table was taken. Tarbouriech first gave me a “Tarbouriech”—his super-oyster’s unsurprising name.

Then he gave me a Bouzigues. (Tarbouriech still produces them, too—it’s a business.) The two specimens couldn’t have been more different. The Tarbouriech was big, plump and scrumptious, its inner shell lined with nacre as hard and shiny as nail polish. The Bouzigues? You don’t want to know.

The success of Saint Barth convinced Tarbouriech that his oysters could pull in people from afar. He had bought a fanciful old manor house up the road in 2012, mostly as a place where his whole family could live—his wife and two of his three grown-up children are in the business. But the kids chose to live on their own. So what do you do with a ruined 18th-century folie? The answer was obvious: turn it into an oyster hotel. “I’m just doing what they’ve been doing with wine tourism in Burgundy and Champagne for twenty years,” Tarbouriech said. “It’s the same thing, but for oysters.”

I stayed in the hotel’s sumptuous Japan room, which has a ceiling so high it could be on the next floor and a

Planning a Languedoc Tour

FROM FAR LEFT:

Razor clams and a glass of local rosé at La Ola, a beach restaurant in Sète; room to breathe on Sète beach; the laid-back vibe at La Ola.

Set aside a week to do wine country, check out the oysters and experience the beach scene in Sète.

GETTING THERE The TGV from Paris to Béziers takes a little more than four hours. The nearest international airport, in Marseille, is a two- to threehour drive from the area.

ASSIGNAN Much of the village on the Château Castigno (village castigno.com; doubles from €132) wine estate has been repurposed as a plush hotel, where guests take their meals in a picturesque square.

There’s also an haute cuisine restaurant, La Table, run by two brothers who well deserve their Michelin star.

Guests can try grape-infused treatments in the spa or explore wine country in one of the hotel’s wine-colored classic Citroëns.

TOUR OPERATOR Butterfield & Robinson's Kathy Stewart—a member of the A-List, Travel + Leisure’s collection of the world's top travel advisors—can arrange private itineraries in Languedoc, with optional cycling excursions through nature preserves and medieval villages (butterfield. com; from €1,340 per person for a five-night trip). — J.L.

ÔNE RI V ER

F ran ce

MARSEILLAN The rooms in the new building at Domaine Tarbouriech (domaine-tarbouriech.fr; doubles from €275) are lovely, but the grand manor house is where you want to be. Take your oysters at Le Saint Barth (lestbarth.com), from where the Tarbouriech oyster parcs are in full view.

RH

private terrace almost as broad. Why a room dedicated to Japan? Because Japanese oysters restocked French beds after the local oysters were wiped out by an epidemic of gill disease in the 1970s. There are only four immense bedrooms in the main house (and 11 suites in a new building behind it), lending the place a personal, homelike feel. The extensive spa facilities feature Tarbouriech’s own Ostrealia wellness products, which are made with oyster extracts. I got a dandy hot-rock massage, except instead of rocks they used oyster shells. After all, when you’re inventing oyster tourism, why not go all the way?

A lot of what I encountered in the region had this kind of loose-limbed, unpretentious vibe—and was all the more winning for it. If there’s a criticism of French style, it’s that it can sometimes be a little stiff and selfimportant. That’s often the price to pay for perfection. But if you want to unbutton your collar and get a taste of southern France in all its raw, unfussy glory, Languedoc is a great place to start.

SÈTE I loved the shabby-chic vibe of Hotel l’Orque Bleue (orquebleue.fr; doubles from €89). Make sure you ask for a canal view. There aren’t many tables at La Coquerie (1 Chemin du Cimetière Marin; 33-6/47-06-71-38; prix fixe

from €65), Anne Majourel’s magnificent restaurant overlooking the sea, so make sure you call ahead. You wouldn’t want to leave Sète without eating at one of the informal restaurants that line its endless beach. Try the boisterous La Ola (laola.fr; mains €15–€25), where half of Sète turns up on a sunny Sunday.

LANGUEDOC

PROVENCE

Montpellier Assignan

Marseillan

Béziers

Sète

Marseille

ÉTANG DE THAU

MEDITERRANEAN SEA

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Southern P R I D E,

Southern P R O M I S E

Alabama is a place of boundless creativity and abundant natural resources— with an unfathomably painful past. On a road trip from city to shore, Kevin West finds the state’s residents reckoning with its legacy and coming up with entirely new definitions of what it means to be Alabaman.

PHOTOGR APHED BY RINNE ALLEN

Highlands Bar & Grill pastry chef Dolester Miles (left) and co-owners Pardis and Frank Stitt at their Birmingham restaurant.

OPPOSITE: Chantilly House, a project by Auburn University’s design/build studio in Alabama’s Black Belt.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

The Montgomery church where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preached from 1954 to 1960; owner Johnny Fisher (left) and chef Bill Briand at their Orange Beach restaurant, Fisher’s; the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in Selma, site of the famed 1965 civil rights march; a quilter at work in Gee’s Bend; Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin; local oysters at the Royal Oyster, in Gulf Shores; a sign marking the spot where Rosa Parks’s civil disobedience launched the Montgomery bus boycott; downtown Birmingham.

was beating his wife as I crossed the Alabama state line. I was driving from Nashville, in a hurry to reach Muscle Shoals, and I had gotten to the point where I-65 snakes down from middle Tennessee’s Highland Rim.

The devil

When the highway levels out again and runs straight, you find yourself in the cotton-growing Heart of Dixie, as Alabama has been known since the 1950s.

The windshield wipers on my rental car frantically tried to keep pace with an August downpour. Then, in a clap, the sun broke through and electrified the gloom, even as the rain continued to fall—in Southern folklore, that’s the devil beating his wife. Luminous spray trembled above the road, and sunlight bounced off wet pastures on either side.

Light and mist rose together, particulate gold. On the stereo, Aretha Franklin’s voice climbed through the verses of “Mary, Don’t You Weep,” shining in glory with the sun. When the clouds closed again, I was off the interstate and on a two-lane behind a car with the license plate luv bama. I passed a field of King Cotton, its leaves dark as poison ivy.

Muscle Shoals was not meant to be on my itinerary, but I was in Nashville when I heard about Aretha’s death, and decided to pay my respects at FAME Studios, where the Queen of Soul laid down tracks that would eventually become her careerdefining hit record, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You. I bought a funeral wreath and a vintage LP of Aretha’s Gold to leave as tributes and drove to FAME in a car called Soul—honest to goodness, the rental agency issued me a Kia Soul. The studio would close at five.

When I got there at 4:15, the nice man in the front office listened to my story and said the last tour of the day had already begun, but I was welcome to join it. I pushed open a door into the carpeted studio. A FAME sound engineer interrupted his tour to greet me.

“Come in,” he said. “I’m telling some stories about Aretha Franklin.”

He was in the middle of a famous one: how Atlantic Records producer Jerry Wexler had brought Franklin to FAME to record with the Swampers, the house band that would go on to back the Rolling Stones, Etta James and Paul Simon, earning the group—and FAME itself—music immortality. The session lasted just one day because of a drunken fight between Aretha’s husband and a musician. The Swampers later flew to New York to finish the album’s title track as well as “Respect,” Aretha’s first No. 1 hit. The Queen had arrived, and her reign began on a single day in this very room, the sound engineer said.

The visitors glanced around, shook their heads, made little noises. One spoke: “It was a….” he said, before words buckled under the weight of his awe.

The engineer finished the thought for him—for all of us. “It was a milestone.”

A W EEK OF M I LE STON E S: that’s how I’d describe my road trip through Alabama. My home state is Tennessee, but I’d never been to

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Alabama apart from one drunken New Year’s Eve in Opelika. Most of what little I knew about the state boiled down to the civil rights era and college football. And the music, from the Blind Boys of Alabama to the Alabama Shakes. If pressed, I could have come up with Truman Capote and Harper Lee whispering childhood secrets in Monroeville, white barbecue sauce, and something about the space program in Huntsville. The Alabama of my mind was hung with faded garlands, and the thought of it made me uneasy, like a family member who sometimes lets slip a racist word.

It had nothing to do, in other words, with what I’d been hearing from trusted friends about the vibrant, progressive Alabama they knew: The flourishing fashion and music scenes around Florence, across the river from Muscle Shoals. The sophisticated food culture in Birmingham. The experimental architecture and agriculture out in the Black Belt, a region named for its rich, dark soil. Rebirth, returns, accolades. Last year, a new monument, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, opened in Montgomery. (Its colloquial handle, “the lynching memorial,” is more painfully descriptive.) Then there was the grand reopening of the Grand Hotel on Mobile Bay, and, down at Gulf Shores, a new generation of oyster farmers, fishermen, and chefs who, post–Deepwater Horizon, have been rebranding the stretch of shoreline sardonically called the Redneck Riviera. Even Alabama politics has held surprises. In 2017, Democrat Doug Jones, an attorney who successfully prosecuted two of the Klansmen who bombed Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963, was elected to the U.S. Senate. That same year, Randall Woodfin, a charismatic 37-year-old African-American political novice, won the Birmingham mayoral race. On the eve of its 200th anniversary of statehood, there was a new Alabama to discover.

I was apprehensive all the same. Alabama is not uniquely burdened with America’s racial history, I know. The Southern Poverty Law Center, based in Montgomery, has documented hate groups in every one of these United States. But somehow the buried mass of injustice seemed closer to the surface in the state where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president of the Confederacy. To prepare, I reread Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” and clicked through pictures of marchers under attack by police dogs and officers wielding fire hoses.

“A R E YOU A L A BA M A HOUSE S?”

I had just sat down for dinner at Odette, a farmto-table restaurant in Florence. The man speaking to me was a silver fox: a sweep of hair, natty dress, gentry accent. I wasn’t sure I heard him right. “Are you Alabama Houses?” he repeated, explaining that

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is not uniquely burdened with America’s racial history. But the buried mass of injustice seemed closer to the surface in the state where the Confederate president was sworn in

Alabama

he and his wife thought I resembled the amateur architectural historian behind the Instagram account @alabamahouses. The man introduced himself as Fennel Mauldin and insisted I join them for dinner.

Fennel and Evie Mauldin grew up in the area and knew everybody. Their stories came like hors d’oeuvres—artful and tasty. Like how the hotel where I was staying, the GunRunner, used to be a Cadillac dealership, its lobby bar a Cadillac-size freight elevator. How fashion designer Billy Reid turned his annual food/music/ideas festival, the Shindig, into something like a homegrown South

by Southwest. And how Florence’s other big designer, Natalie Chanin, runs a café at the factory of her Alabama Chanin label that serves the best brunch around.

“This has happened in the past five years,” Fennel said. “My generation left. They all moved to Atlanta.

What’s different now is the younger generations are staying.”

The next morning at Alabama Chanin, I tried out Fennel’s thesis on Natalie Chanin, with her Emmylou Harris–white hair. She didn’t disagree, but placed Florence’s renaissance within a historical context. “There’s always been a creative bent to the area,” Chanin said in her honeysuckle accent, namechecking musicians and Pulitzer-winning novelists.

Creativity is part of Alabama’s “legacy,” she said, and then stopped and stepped back from a word that can stink of Confederate nostalgia.

The Memorial for Peace and Justice, in Montgomery, honors the memory of lynching victims across the United States.

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FROM LEFT: Scott Peacock dyeing linens with his homegrown indigo; Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces, a relic of the city’s industrial-manufacturing days; Gulf State Park, on Alabama’s southern coast.

How, I asked, did she remain sensitive to the past without becoming dismayed by it? Her label makes organic women’s clothing and home textiles; Natalie told me about an oral-history project she had launched, Project Threadways, to collect textile workers’ stories, giving voice to people who had long been ignored. Before that, Alabama Chanin had once planted a field of cotton and invited volunteers to help handpick the crop; some were joyful, others overcome with grief. Natalie’s point, Southern in its indirection, seemed to be that Alabama’s legacy of creativity gave her the means to respond to that other legacy. “There’s a lot of blood in this earth,” she said.

“Maybe this is one step toward healing.”

Not far from Alabama Chanin, I saw another project that, like a field of cotton, was more complex than it appeared. It contained some 3.8 million kilograms of stone stacked over the course of 30 years by Tom Hendrix, who died in 2017. The low, wandering wall looked like a labyrinth that had been unfolded. It memorializes Hendrix’s great-greatgrandmother, Te-lah-nay, a Yuchi tribe member who was forced onto the Trail of Tears, then later braved great danger to come back from Oklahoma, alone and on foot. The artist’s son, Trace, explained that one side of the wall, a straight path away from a central circle, represented Te-lah-nay’s removal.

The other side, which he called “the dark path,” was her return. “It twists and turns,” he said, “because your journey through life is never easy.”

Te-lah-nay’s long walk resonated with history’s other perilous journeys, from Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt to John Lewis and the foot soldiers crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge on their freedom march from Selma to Montgomery.

TOWA R D T H E EN D of dinner that night at Highlands Bar & Grill, in Birmingham, Red Dog set the table for dessert. Holding a silver spoon by the end of its handle, he lowered it into its proper place, just so, on the white tablecloth. Born Goren Avery, Red Dog has waited tables at chef-owner Frank Stitt’s flagship restaurant since it opened in 1982, ascending the ranks of his profession to the status of living landmark. Highlands pastry chef Dolester Miles—Miss Dol to her juniors—has also been with Stitt since the start. Her win at the James Beard Awards last year mattered on several levels: she was the first African American to claim the honor, and the first self-taught pastry chef.

“My aunt and my mom, we used to make desserts together when I was coming up,” Miles told me when I sat down with her, Stitt, and Stitt’s wife and business partner, Pardis, for coffee and a slice of Miss Dol’s signature coconut cake. “You know, I loved it when I was little, and it all came back. I was like, ‘This is what I really want to do.’ So Frank gave me my opportunity.”

The night Miles won, Highlands did as well, winning outstanding restaurant of the year after

nine times as a finalist. What the Stitts have accomplished over 37 years goes beyond intelligent cooking, fabulous staff and a dining room that flatters traditionalist ideas about Southern hospitality. Highlands essentially founded Alabama’s progressive food scene with the revolutionary idea that Southern cuisine could be elevated with prime ingredients, meticulous technique and unstuffy service. Generations of chefs have emerged from Stitt’s kitchen as disciples of that gospel. When I asked for the secret to Highlands’ longevity, his response was quick: “Respect for one another.”

“We insisted on people having a sense of… character,” he continued, with a half-moment’s pause to locate the precisely weighted word. “We insisted that people not be racist, that people not be rude, that they not be homophobic. When we have our full meeting, 170 people, there is very much a sense that we’re working for a good cause. Don’t you think, Dol?” “Mm-hmm,” said Miles. “I always felt like I was a part of this family. I never felt any different. That’s why I stayed so long.”

Birmingham is a relatively new city, founded in 1871. Its early iron and steel industries transformed the raw red-clay landscape so quickly that it earned the nickname Magic City. Suburban Mountain Brook sprouted mansions, and downtown leaped with skyscrapers, hotels, theaters and department stores. That was white Birmingham.

Black Birmingham also prospered: the business community around the current Civil Rights Institute downtown included the offices of Oscar Adams Jr., the first African American admitted to the bar in Birmingham, and A. G. Gaston, a businessman who, when he died in 1996, left an estate worth tens of millions. But for Birmingham’s black citizens, daily life was defined by Jim Crow.

Segregated schools, theaters, restaurants and parks were typical of the era. Less typical was Birmingham’s eventual notoriety. Charles Moore’s photographs of the 1963 Good Friday march, the ones I had seen online of city public safety commissioner Bull Connor’s men attacking the peaceful marchers, were published by Life and spread like airborne ash from a distant wildfire. That September, the bombing at the 16th Street Baptist Church killed four young girls and offended common decency everywhere. The events of 1963 cemented Birmingham’s place in American history.

“Birmingham is unique in that we reckoned with our differences on the world stage,” said Mayor Woodfin the morning I met him in his office. “It happened in other cities, but here you saw it.”

Woodfin, who jokes that he grew a beard to appear more mayoral, came home to Alabama after law school to make a difference. With charisma, big

ideas, and almost no prior political experience, he rallied voters with the campaign message We deserve better. Birmingham long ago ceased to be an economic powerhouse; two generations of postindustrial decline and exodus had hollowed it out. Woodfin’s agenda since gaining office, he told me, has focused on three key items, each of which is “neighborhood revitalization.”

Neighborhood revitalization was, in fact, exactly what I had seen the previous day. The gentrifying neighborhoods I drove through had everything today’s tourist or transplant might want. Beaux Arts skyscrapers have been transformed into boutique hotels. The Pizitz department store has new life as a mixed-use development with apartments above a food hall. Commercial districts have gentrified wholesale with farmers’ markets, craft breweries, and self-aware restaurants—a new Magic City. In the historic enclave of Avondale, I had lunch at Saw’s BBQ, then went next door to Post Office Pies for a wood-fired pizza to go. Aretha was playing at both— as well as at the Pizitz and in a gallery of the Civil Rights Institute—part of a citywide show of R-E-SP-E-C-T for a life that included singing at Dr. King’s funeral and, further along the arc of the moral universe, at Barack Obama’s inauguration.

I mentioned Avondale to the mayor and asked if that’s the kind of revitalization he had in mind.

Yes, he said, but his goal is to improve all 99 city neighborhoods, including the 88, many predominantly black, that have not flourished anew.

I asked him the same question I’d asked Chanin, about how to reckon with the past without being defeated by it.

“I tell people this,” the mayor said. “From a historical perspective, Birmingham has shown the world once how to pivot away from hatred. There was resistance to change, and we were also the poster child for how to make change. When those forces met, change won out.”

K NOW I NGLY OR NOT, the mayor’s take on Birmingham—a telling that honors the moral heroism of the civil rights era and also acknowledges the injustices that made it necessary—aligns with recent efforts at the state level to change how people think about Alabama. To replace the image of Bull Connor’s police force, for instance, with something inspiring. One part of those efforts is the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which spans 100 sites across 15 states—26 in Alabama alone. Launched last year, it’s currently under review for unesco World Heritage designation. The campaign’s tagline explains why: “What happened here changed the world.”

A few days later, the Civil Rights Trail led me to Montgomery’s Dexter Avenue. It runs uphill from Court Square, site of the former slave market, to the Alabama State Capitol, where Governor George

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Wallace gave his infamous “segregation forever” speech on the steps where Jefferson Davis was sworn in. Standing sentinel between the two is Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, built in 1889 of red brick and named in memory of the pastor who served there from 1954 to 1960. Tour director Wanda Battle hugged me when I entered.

“We love on everybody who comes in here,” she said.

“That is a part of what this legacy is all about.” That word again, but here glinting with hope 50 years after King’s assassination.

Battle was luminous. I felt improved by her presence. She showed me the office in which King organized the bus boycott and told me about the 16 elderly members who still remembered him. She sang “This Little Light of Mine” to demonstrate the church’s acoustics and insisted I visit the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, twin projects from Montgomery’s Equal Justice Initiative. “I cried so hard when I visited,” she said. “They made me more convinced of the importance of my taking responsibility to love people every day.”

I hugged Battle and went where she sent me. Both visits require time. Each is heavy. The museum is dense with text. The memorial has little apart from the names engraved in 800 monuments, one for each county in the U.S. where a lynching occurred.

Visitors appear raw and unguarded.

Later, I realized the genius of the memorial is that it makes us grieve in broad daylight. Hidden shame and rage are brought out to be aired in full view of companions and strangers alike. Private emotions are transformed into public monument. It makes no sense to say my experience there was beautiful, but, on levels both personal and historical, it felt essential to our national journey.

“I’V E N E V ER M A DE the same biscuits

twice,” said chef Scott Peacock, perhaps the most skilled caretaker of the Southern home-cooking tradition, as his hands coaxed flour and buttermilk into a salutary alliance, “and I have tried.” It was before breakfast at Reverie, a white-columned mansion in Marion, my first stop in the Black Belt, and Peacock had already laid out honey, jam and “enough butter to float a battleship.” He was giving me a preview of his new project: small-group workshops on the art of Southern biscuits. “It’s a practice,” he said. “It definitely is. I marvel at it every time.”

Alabama’s Black Belt is a 19-county swath of rich topsoil at the heart of the broader southern Black Belt. It was once the state’s wealthiest region: the throne room of King Cotton, the Saudi Arabia of agriculture. Before the Civil War, its landed aristocrats outdid one another in feudal lavishness, throwing parties with actual jousting tournaments.

Peacock quoted a resident of the era who said, “There are two places in this world where it is possible to live a civilized life: Paris, France, and Unionville, Alabama.” The luxurious way of life, dependent upon the inhumane economics of slavery, grew shabby without it, and the Black Belt declined. What remained was antebellum architecture and poverty.

An hour deeper into the Black Belt, the hamlet of Boykin dozes in a bend of the Alabama River.

Peacock took me there to meet Mary Lee Bendolph, who sat on her porch, dressed and ready, studying the Bible as she waited for us to arrive. (I asked: the 23rd Psalm.) Bendolph belongs to a community of slave descendants known as the Gee’s Bend Quilters, whose creations rise to the level of great American art. She welcomed us with hugs and a throaty laugh, then took us inside to see pictures of her grandkids and the quilt she sewed for the Obamas in 2009.

Bendolph, who no longer sews, accompanied us to the Gee’s Bend Welcome Center, where the public can meet quilters who continue the tradition.

Before we left Reverie, Peacock finished rolling out his biscuit dough and got a pan into the hot oven.

He grew up close to the Florida state line but is now a Black Belt stalwart. His antique house, maintained in a state of splendid disrepair, sits on Marion’s main drag, and his backyard garden is a one-man agricultural experiment station that honors the spirit of George Washington Carver, the AfricanAmerican botanist and environmentalist who championed alternatives to soil-depleting cotton. In a twist, Peacock’s principal crop, unlike Carver’s favored peanuts, is inedible. He plants indigo and processes it for pigment. “I grew that blue,” he said of his sky-colored T-shirt, a suitable companion for his cloudlike hair.

N E A R T H E EN D OF M Y TR I P, I was at a marina in Orange Beach, about to eat some Alabama-grown oysters at Fisher’s restaurant.

Owner Johnny Fisher, a Mobile native, had just brought them from the kitchen, where chef Bill Briand, a two-time Beard semifinalist for best chef in the South, had disappeared for the start of dinner service. I was mid-reach when someone at the table proposed, with winking solemnity, that we raise a glass to Ed King, who had died that day. Who? King, I was told, played guitar for Lynyrd Skynyrd and cowrote “Sweet Home Alabama.” I was struck by the symmetry, a second passing to bookend my trip, although this one wasn’t much noticed, even on the Redneck Riviera.

As far as I could tell, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach didn’t really live up to the nickname. The mind-set of the Alabama beachfront seemed open to change, at least around food. Fisher champions sustainable fisheries—his version of the culinary good morals practiced by Frank Stitt in

Birmingham. Another local chef, Chris Sherrill, founded a group to promote consumption of abundant Gulf species considered “trash fish.” He explained his idea over tacos made from bluewing searobin, an ugly big-headed slimeball that tasted great with salsa and kudzu-lime crema. Likewise, a new generation of oyster farmers, producers like Lew Childress of Shellbank Selects, raise small, sculpted oysters that bring a premium over typical Gulf oysters grown out to the size of a tourist’s sweaty palm.

Credit the oil spill and oldsters. The Deepwater Horizon disaster initially led to a ruinous moratorium on Gulf seafood sales, but a multibillion-dollar restitution fund has since helped Alabama’s shore communities rebuild.

Affluent retirees arrived here like horseshoe crabs on the spring tide, and snowbirds now flock to the upscale eateries.

“Disaster won’t create your change,” explained one longtime resident the next day over lunch, “but it will accelerate your rate of change. We’ve seen that after each storm, and we’ve seen it after the oil spill.”

The group at the table, which included the mayors of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, wanted to talk about shiny new ideas: the eco-lodge at Gulf Shore Park and programs to protect endangered sea turtles. What I brought up was, perhaps, a nuisance. I asked what they thought about the region’s reputation as the Redneck Riviera. People waved hands as if shooing flies at a church supper.

The consensus was that stereotypes linger among people who haven’t actually been to Alabama. The cure for ignorance is travel.

“If we get ’em here, we’ll change their minds,” said the longtime resident with determined optimism. “You rarely hear someone say they’re gonna retire and move up north.”

An Alabama Road Trip

Spend four to five days wending your way through the state, from Muscle Shoals to the Gulf Coast.

GETTING THERE To replicate this road trip, fly into Huntsville—it’s reachable through hubs like Atlanta, Chicago and DallasFort Worth—then drive an hour west to Muscle Shoals.

FLORENCE & MUSCLE SHOALS The 10-suite GunRunner (gunrunnerhotel.com; doubles from US$139) celebrates the area’s creative heritage. Visit the Factory (alabamachanin. com) for an unbeatable brunch and locally made housewares, FAME Studios (famestudios. com; tours US$10) for a glimpse of music history, and Odette (odettealabama.com; mains US$12–$29) for dinner.

While in the area, see Te-lahnay’s Wall (ifthelegendsfade. com), a large-scale work memorializing a Yuchi woman’s return after her forced removal from the state.

BIRMINGHAM The Grand Bohemian Hotel (kesslercollection.com; doubles from US$299), in the suburb of Mountain Brook, lives up to its name, with jewel-tone furnishings and a gallery. Get great Southern

food at the Highlands Bar & Grill (highlandsbarandgrill. com; mains US$24–$44) and Saw’s BBQ (sawsbbq.com; mains US$7–$10). The U.S. Civil Rights Trail (civilrightstrail.com) has a list of notable sights in town.

MONTGOMERY & THE BLACK BELT In Montgomery, it’s vital to experience the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (museumand memorial.eji.org) and the Civil Rights Memorial (splcenter. org). In the Black Belt, sign up for a biscuit workshop with Scott Peacock (chefscott peacock.com), in Marion, and visit the Gee’s Bend Welcome Center in Boykin (County Rd. 29; 1-334/573-0020) THE GULF COAST White-sand beaches are the main draw, but while you’re there, sample the seafood at Fisher’s (fishersobm.com; mains US$24–$38) and check in to the eco-minded Lodge at Gulf State Park (lodgeatgulf statepark.com; doubles from US$294) to immerse yourself in the area’s natural beauty.

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wish you were here

A monk at Punakha Dzong, one of Bhutan’s most majestic fortresses, is a study in solitude. At the confluence of the Pho Chhu and Mo Chhu—the father and mother rivers—the dzong is central to the nation’s history, formerly as the seat of government and today the winter home of Bhutan’s main Buddhist monk body. Rebuilt several times over the centuries, always without a single nail, it’s not uncommon to hear the baritone echo of monks chanting from the assembly hall. — SHINSUKE MATSUK AWA

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HOSPITALITY MORE THAN JUST A WORD True hospitality comes from the hea!.

From a genuine desire to make sure our guests always feel totally at home.

S P E C I A L AC C OR E DI T IO N

SOUTHEAST ASIA

JUNE 2019

The Maldives FROM RAFFLES TO FAIRMONT TO MERCURE

MGALLERY: THE STYLISH BRAND IN VIETNAM A DOZEN TASTES OF AUSTRALIA

REDISCOVER BANGKOK AND PHUKET WITH ACCOR

LEGENDARY ICON MEETS MODERN LUXURY

The train that became a legend, the Orient Express remains a symbol of luxury travel and timeless refinement 135 years after its maiden journey.

Its multicultural heritage is now transported to a collection of Orient Express hotels, inviting travellers on a captivating journey to elsewhere.

This new journey begins in Bangkok.

World’s First Orient Express Hotel

BR ANDS

Orient Express Mahanakorn Bangkok, Thailand.

Orient Express LUXURY TRAVEL DEFINED A “Journey to Elsewhere” and “A Refined Door to the Unexpected” for more than 135 years, Orient Express remains the symbol of luxury travel and timeless refinement. The multicultural heritage of this legendary trains is now transported to a collection of Orient Express hotels, taking travellers on a captivating journey to elsewhere.

SPLENDOUR ON THE RAILS Rare know-how and noble materials echo the original train’s splendour, creating a permanent experience marked by emotion and wanderlust.

Transported by this special sense of style and the promise of radical change from the everyday, Orient Express beckons you to discover another way of travelling, living and seeing the world: a culture.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: The first Orient Express Hotel, Orient Express Mahanakorn Bangkok, set to open in Thailand late 2019.

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INTRO

Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia magazine, devoted to some of the best hotels in Asia Pacific. From the sparkling sands of Sydney to the aquamarine waters of the Maldives, from the colourful markets of Bangkok to the gilded pagodas of Myanmar, Accor has a hotel or resort for every mood.

With more than 1,100 hotels and resorts across the region, we have put together this collection of hotels and destinations to inspire your next adventure, whether you seek cultural immersion, romance, family time or a gourmet getaway.

In the Maldives, we introduce you to five gorgeous resorts, from the family-friendly Mercure Maldives Kooddoo to the ultra-luxe Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, which has only 38 villas for the ultimate seclusion.

In Australia, you can soak in a luxurious tub at the Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, overlooking the twinkling lights of the city, or visit picturesque vineyards for the ultimate foodie escape at Mitchelton Winery, Hotel & Day Spa, MGallery; Mount Lofty House, MGallery; or Novotel Barossa Valley. Further north, the tropical delights of Queensland are yours to explore at Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa or Pullman Palm Cove Sea Temple Resort & Spa. Phu Quoc is one of the hottest resort destinations in Vietnam and we invite you into four resorts on this palm-fringed island of pearl farms, temples, waterfalls and lush jungle. High in the hills of Sapa, Bill Bensley has created a French Indochine fantasy at Hotel de la Coupole, blending high-fashion glamour with colourful hill tribe influences. Equally bold, the new SO/ Auckland was created in collaboration with renowned Kiwi fashion label World and brings a new sense of playfulness to the city.

We also take you inside the Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta, MGallery, a 1918 heritage hotel, which provides an elegant taste of a bygone era. Finally, we provide a sneak preview of Raffles Singapore, which is set to reopen its doors in August. This historic, iconic hotel has been welcoming travellers for over 130 years and has been undergoing a careful restoration, which will bring the hotel firmly into the next century while retaining its heritage charm. Its relaunch will restore the hotel to its rightful place at the epicenter of Singapore’s social scene.

We look forward to welcoming you soon.

ELCOME TO THIS SPECIAL EDITION OF

Michael Issenberg, Chairman & CEO Accor Asia Pacific

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BR ANDS

Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Cambodia

Raffles

RAFFLES BUTLER SERVICE Raffles Butlers are the living embodiment of Raffles’ heritage of bespoke service. They take care of every detail so that our guests have space to be themselves and the freedom to discover local culture.

RAFFLES SIGNATURE BARS The Long Bar is lively, colourful and joyful. It’s a destination where locals and tourists meet and socialise, where conversation flows, where people go to experience the soul of a city. The famous Singapore Sling was invented here in 1915. The Writers Bar is an oasis of calm and tranquillity in a Raffles Hotel for guests in residence. It’s where guests can relax and unwind.

RAFFLES PATISSERIE A modern day treasure box of both familiar and exotic treats. It is a place sought out by people who appreciate tasteful ‘treasures’. The experience and sweet

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pastries are like gems, discovered, enjoyed and cherished.

RAFFLES SPA The lotus flower is the central inspiration for Raffles Spa’s philosophy. At Raffles Spa , a balance between strength and relaxation is the key to a feeling of inner tranquillity and rejuvenation.

RAFFLES GALA EVENT With each Raffles property being a centrepiece for social events and elegant celebrations, the hotels, host the biggest celebrations and most sophisticated events.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Raffles Singapore, Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor, Cambodia; Raffles Hotel Le Royal, Cambodia; Raffles Hainan, China; Raffles Manila Makati, Philippines; Raffles Jakarta, Indonesia

Raffles Singapore.

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6:16PM The moment Makati took your breath away Cherish a moment in Fairmont Makati, an urban sanctuary of understated elegance among Manila’s renowned shopping and lifestyle centers. As our guest, you’ll be treated to spacious rooms and suites with floor-to-ceiling windows for unparalleled views of the glimmering skyline, accompanied by an atmosphere of sophisticated excellence and serenity.

Gateway to your perfect Makati moment. fairmont.com

4,800 Hotels

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Destinations

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Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia.

Sofitel

unique aromas, textures, flavours and secrets.

CHIC DESIGN Every Sofitel address is a contemporary work of art by masterly architects and interior designers like Didier Gomez, Jean Nouvel, Pierre-Yves Rochon, Andrée Putman, Richard Francis-Jones and many more, elegantly blending French and local aesthetics.

ARTS & CULTURE Embracing French art de vivre, Sofitel hotels celebrate their continental roots while honouring and showcasing the finest local customs and traditions.

Sofitel hotels blend local and international artistic expression to create cultural journeys designed to both delight and inform.

Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort, Indonesia.

AUTHENTIC & LIVELY F&B Sofitel chefs create fusion dining enriched and enhanced by each destination’s

INDULGENT WELLNESS Sofitel hotels afford a wealth of opportunities for relaxation, rejuvenation, health and well-being.

The Sofitel MyBed™ ushers in luxurious relaxation and comfort.

Sofitel Spa proposes a collection of pampering beauty treatments and soothing therapies and Sofitel Fitness offers a range of personalized exercise programs and a range of cutting-edge gym equipment.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Sofitel Singapore City Centre, Singapore; Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, Singapore; Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour, Australia; Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort, Indonesia; Sofitel Guangzhou Sunrich, China.

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June

CONTENTS

features

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Paradise Awaits There are two sides to every seashell in the Maldives: uncovering something for every type of traveller.

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Two Sides of Thailand Bangkok and Phuket are opposites, but do share an ongoing ability to evolve and constantly surprise.

74 74 94 81 52

The Kiwi Connection Two addresses offer stylish stays, with a distinct touch of their locale combined with Kiwi hospitality.

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On the Menu Down Under You’ll only get a true taste of Australia when drinking and dining.

88 TO P R I G H T : BA R C R O F T M E D I A / C O N T R I B U TO R / G E T T Y I M AG ES

The Next Beach Thing These days Phu Quoc really is entering the mainstream—at its own pace.

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Magical Myanmar Discovering the land of the golden pagoda is a step back to another era in Asia.

ON THE COVER

High above the azure waters surrounding the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi.

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CONTENTS

Accor Brands From ultraluxury to affordable comfort, Accor has the perfect brand portfolio to help guide you to the perfect accommodation choice.

24 Around the World on a Plate

If you’re looking to fully appreciate Indonesia, then search no further than a handful of Accor hotels that offer some of the finest local dishes you will ever taste.

16 Up on the Roof Bangkok has

more than its fair share of enticing rooftop bars, you just have to know where to look, writes Joe Cummings, who lives to tell a tale high above the city streets.

28 Design Your Memories Look

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forward to timeless elegance, a stylish spirit and charming vestiges of Vietnam’s history when you stay at Accor’s MGallery Hotel Collection.

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34 Amazing Plates Gathering

some of the world’s top chefs in Bangkok, and advancing gastronomie ideals, Sofitel’s SO Amazing Chefs is a chance to try a multitude of Michelinstarred cooking all in one setting.

42 Your Rewards Accor’s

extensive loyalty program, MyResorts, offers something for everyone at each of its locations around Asia. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised at exactly what that means for your next vacation.

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42

UNCORK

a sparkling

EVENING

With over 30 handpicked cuvées, discover your new favourite at Sydney’s home of Champagne.

See you for Champagne Hour! Sunday to Thursday 5pm - 7pm CHAMPAGNEBARSYDNEY.COM SOFITEL SYDNEY DARLING HARBOUR, 12 DARLING DRIVE, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA

ROOFTOP BARS

Up On The Roof

Bangkok has more than its fair share of enticing rooftop bars, you just have to know where to look, writes Joe Cummings, who lives to tell a tale high above the city streets.

A night out at RedSquare Rooftop Bar.

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GREAT CIT YSCAPES deserve great rooftop bars, and Bangkok is richly endowed with both.

With an abundance of glittering skyscrapers— nearly a hundred taller than 150 meters— brightly lit roadways, a network of narrow canals, and the wide, curving Chao Phraya River, the tropical city offers unparalleled views to those who can find a comfortable perch. Cocktail hedonism combined with elevated views seems like a simple formula, but with typical French élan, Accor has honed rooftop hosting to a fine art, as I found out recently on a two-night tour of six of their finest local skyborne venues.

Night one begins at Belga Rooftop Bar & Brasserie, ensconced on the 32nd floor of Art Deco-inspired Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit.

Leaving traffic-choked Sukhumvit far below, I arrive just in time to catch the last rays of the sun bouncing off the surrounding cityscape. A subtle breeze wafts across the curving outdoor terrace as I sit down to a flight of draft Belgian brews, drawn from the nine different Belgian beers on tap (plus another 30 by the bottle) at Belga. My favorite tonight is Maredsous Blonde, a golden beer with a clean bouquet that’s very refreshing at the end of a long, hot Bangkok day.

This being the only Belgian restaurant in the city, I feel duty bound to sample moules frites, Belgium’s iconic bucket of steamed mussels accompanied by pommes frites. We choose the house signature moules, steamed with Hoegaarden, an unfiltered beer whose flavors of coriander and citrus peel mate perfectly with fresh mussels. As for the fries, they live up to Belgian legend, especially when dipped into mayonnaise mixed fresh at the table by the brasserie’s Maître Mayonnaise.

Two beers later, and I’m digging into a crisp buckwheat waffle topped with house-cured salmon, garden salad and lemon-dill dressing, a brilliant re-interpretation of the Belgian waffle tradition. The food and beer at Belga are so good that you might not even notice the stupendous views, and instead find yourself wandering inside to admire the open kitchen and copper beer taps.

Moving from Brussels to Moscow, my next stop is RedSquare Rooftop Bar at the brandnew Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 4. Perched on the 25th floor, the outdoor terrace is flanked by a sleek swimming pool to one side and a bustling semi-indoor bar on the other. Cozy nooks with red-upholstered barrel chairs look out onto city views on both sides of the

Belga terrace.

ABOVE: Moules Mariniere, Belga.

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ROOFTOP BARS

The Parch, rum with lime, mint and hazelnut. ABOVE: The View Rooftop Bar at night.

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building. I sit at a table that looks towards All Seasons Place and an assortment of other distinguished edifices along Withayu Road’s embassy row.

As the name might suggest, RedSquare is dedicated to vodka. Mixologists here work with more than 35 unique vodka labels from all over the world, including Burnett’s, Crystal Head, Stilltheone, Skyy, Ciroc, Finlandia, Belvedere, Artic, and Chase, to name a few. I continue my rooftop cocktail evening with a Mojito Skyy, the house signature concoction of US-made Skyy Vodka and delicate homemade syrups of mint, cucumber, and strawberry, beautifully presented with a strip of thinly sliced cucumber placed against the inside curve of the glass. Another drink that catches my eye is the intriguingly named Angel Kenya, containing vodka, homemade black tea, guava juice, and yaa waan (Stevia or candyleaf). I reckon next time I decide to rise above the City of Angels, I’ll be ordering one of these.

Bar bites at RedSquare present a cosmopolitan mix of textures and flavours, including Fresh Burrata, Wild Mushroom Soup, Cold Cut Selection (Parma ham, coppata, serrano ham, salami), and my odds-on favourite, Spiced Prawn Burgers, all served on gleaming white plates that contrast well with the red fabrics.

By this point I’m beginning to lose count of how many drinks I’ve had, but I’m feeling the love and ready for the final stop of the evening.

Right in the heart of bustling Pratunam, tucked check-and-jowl behind world-famous Platinum Fashion Mall, Novotel Bangkok Platinum might seem like an unlikely location for a rooftop bar. In fact, I’d wager that most people thronging the streets below, walking to and from CentralWorld and other malls in one of Asia’s most concentrated shopping districts, have no idea that that nine floors above them sits View Rooftop Bar. It feels like a flash-yet-comfy pool bar you might stumble on at a South Beach hotel in Miami, replete with beanbag chairs, an infinity pool, and brick walls painted with vibrant street art. Curated audio by DJ/producer Bradley Hart enhances the effect. Meanwhile, the stunning scene across Rajprasong’s glitter and pomp is softened by a bird’s eye look at intensely green Pathumwananuruk Park just below the hotel.

Here I start with Purple Haze, a striking presentation served under bell glass to capture the fragrant smoke of thian op, Thailand’s >>

ROOFTOP BARS

The entrance to Sky on 20.

BELOW: Winter is coming at Sky on 20.

traditional culinary candle. The blend of frankincense and other spices lend an exotic perfume to the signature blend of butterfly pea flower-infused vodka, vermouth, lime, lemongrass elderflower, and lavender.

Our table shares a delicious Burger Slider Trio made with pulled pork, fried chicken, and beef, along with Tempura Battered Purple Potato Fries dusted with View’s signature chili salt. This is a rooftop bar that goes all out to wow its guests with originality and flair, I decide as I dip into my second drink, The Parch, a magical concoction of Captain Morgan Dark Rum, lime, mint, and hazelnut, which is topped with a sweet and savory slab of caramelized pineapple.

After a day’s recovery, I launch into night two at Sky on 20, slotted neatly into the 26th floor of Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20. The extensive drinking menu boasts fizzy cocktails that use prosecco as a base, such as Red Hot Lover (gin, strawberry, vanilla, and prosecco), but I go for the spirit-forward section dubbed GTFO, and bounce into an Apple Q, an aromatic, full-bodied concoction of Botanist gin, lime, apple, homemade BBQ syrup, and fresh rosemary.

Sky on 20’s leafy garden-like terrace offers an impressive angle on aerial Bangkok that takes in both Sirikit Lake and Benjasiri Park.

While drinking and gawking, I enjoy light, satisfying plates of Gouda Cube Cheese with Mustard and Pepper and Fried Zucchinis with Hummus Dip. A barfly’s work is never done, so before I can say “I’ll have another,” we’ve flitted across town to the 29th floor of SO/ Bangkok. Here Hi So Rooftop Bar provides an unparalleled view of Lumpini Park, Bangkok’s oldest public green space. Comfortably wedged into a semi-openair triangle just outside the hotel’s esteemed Park Society restaurant, this bar features separate guest cabanas, a dedicated DJ booth (in full swing every night of the week), and a mezzanine one floor above for those who want to go that bit higher. From there, a hidden entry leads to Super Hi-So on the 31st floor, a secret sky platform for private events and intimate dates. >>

Sky on 20’s leafy garden-like terrace offers an impressive angle on aerial Bangkok that takes in both Sirikit Lake and Benjasiri Park. I’m drinking and gawking 20

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MEMORABLE VERANDA HIGH RESORT A HAVEN OF PEACE IN THE HEART OF THE MOUNTAINS

Far from stress, close to nature: Veranda High Resort Chiang Mai offers modern chic in a timeless retreat overlooking mountain streams, rice and tea terraces. Be inspired by our tailor-made service, and just enjoy being you.

mgallery.com accorhotels.com

VERANDA HIGH RESORT CHIANG MAI, MGALLERY 192 MOO 2 BANGPONG, HANGDONG • CHIANG MAI 50230 • THAILAND TEL.: +66-53-365-007, +66-62-398-6899, +66-98-913-7699 M G A L L E R Y, A C O L L E C T I O N O F M E M O R A B L E H OT E L S : E U R O P E - A F R I C A - M I D D L E E A S T - C A R I B B E A N - A S I A PA C I F I C

ROOFTOP BARS

Bacon old fashioned, at Speakeasy.

ABOVE: Studio Session, Hi So Rooftop bar.

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A recent Hi-So relaunch brings in a reworked drinks menu created by mixologist Kishan Rampersad. I leap on the Banana Whiskey Sour, containing a healthy dose of bourbon, along with banana liqueur, fresh lime, bitters, and a dash of sugar syrup. We order a few bites from the Park Society menu, which covers a broad international selection of tapas and Asian small plates like gyoza, satay, and Thai-style garlic prawns, along with more hearty comfort food such as BBQ ribs, and fish and chips.

After hopping a taxi, we’re soon winding our way skyward to Speakeasy, which encompasses two floors at the top of Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, MGallery.

Matching the early 20th-century concept and décor of the hotel, Speakeasy evokes Prohibition-era chic, with lots of wood paneling, antique art, and servers dressed in period-inspired clothing. The lower of the two floors boasts an old-fashioned belly-up bar and a long, roofed terrace for admiring the views across Soi Lang Suan. Stairs lead a floor up to the rooftop bar proper, which is spacious and affords views from virtually all four sides of the hotel. Three large private domes designed in classic Beaux Arts style are available for private parties by reservation.

In a nicely dimmed corner of the terrace, we sample the bespoke creations of Thai barman Lersak Jamkadsin. With more than 30 brands on hand, gin is the house specialty, and customers are encouraged to create their own G&T by selecting their particular label of choice along with one of several boutique tonics (including Fentimans, Fever Tree, and Thomas Henry) and finally a botanical garnish such as coriander, cloves, cinnamon, lemon peel, or rosemary.

Anyone who appreciates lighter cocktails should have a look at the Inspired by Her section of the drinks menu, which lists such delicately balanced recipes as Jasmine (vodka, pineapple juice, passionfruit, lime juice, Midori, and jasmine syrup) and Butterfly (gin, strawberry jam, lime juice, rosemary, cucumber, tonic, and soda). I go in the opposite direction to find my favorite cocktail of the rooftop journey, a Bacon Old-Fashioned in which bourbon saddles up with dehydrated orange, vermouth, and bitters, and is garnished with a crispy, bourbon-infused strip of bacon. I can just about manage a cigar downstairs at the Blind Pig Cigar Lounge before heading home for a much-deserved rest.

O N T H E P L AT E

World of Fairmont Afternoon Tea.

Durian Pancake at Mercure Jakarta Pantai Indah Kapuk.

Nasi Tutug Oncom, Grand Mercure Bandung Setiabudi.

Around the World on a Plate If you’re looking to fully appreciate Indonesia, then search no further than a handful of Accor hotels that offer some of the finest local dishes you will ever taste.

the place to see and be seen is the Peacock Lounge at the Fairmont Jakarta. Popular with the social-media set, the lounge’s Signature Afternoon Tea set brings the taste of treats from various Fairmont hotels around the world to one setting, whether it’s cheesecake from The Plaza New York or a Lychee Mousse Tart from the Fairmont Peace Hotel Shanghai.

Also in the Indonesian capital, the Mercure Jakarta Pantai Indah Kapuk is renowned for its NSNTR Restaurant & Bar. The name derives from the acronym for archipelago, but the real mouthful is a carefully selected menu that includes the spices, herbs and exotic fruits of this vast island nation. Count Durian Pancake and Durian Crème Brulee among the signature dishes here.

WHEN IN JAK ARTA,

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At the Grand Mercure Bandung Setiabudi, only the freshest farm-to-table ingredients are used, with the all-day dining Hardy’s offering Nasi Tutug Oncom—a mix of soybean paste with steamed rice—served alongside dishes such as fried tempeh and tofu, fried chicken and spicy sambal. For those with a sweet tooth, don’t miss the grilled cassava with brown sugar dipped in shredded coconut.

Originally built in 1918 are a private estate, the Phoenix Hotel Yogyakarta comes with many traditions that have grown over the years, though today it is part of the luxury MGallery Collection. As such, its history-laden hallways are adorned with some of the finest artworks found in the country. That said, do not miss out on the Chef’s Table, which celebrates Javanese dishes in a private room. Gudeg, a dish made from jackfruit, is served with condiments such as egg, chicken and tofu. Bakpia 1918—a mix of green beans, cashew nuts wheat, butter, sugar and salt—has become a signature dish of Yogyakarta, a memorable taste of the city that underlines the friendliness of the Javanese.

BR ANDS

Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, Thailand.

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Novotel Brisbane South Bank, Australia.

Novotel

Quality time is about making everyday moments matter.

Everything about Novotel has been thought through to enhance wellbeing, life-balance and enjoyment.

From intuitive and modern design, to rewarding programs and experiences—everyone can take time to relax and rejuvenate, or make time to connect with family and friends.

area, and free breakfast for kids under sixteen.

INBALANCE AT NOVOTEL Three offers of wellness with InBalance Fitness, InBalance Wellness (pool, sauna, steam room) and InBalance Spa Wellness and Treatment Center.

LIVELY LOBBY WITH A GOURMET BAR An informal, friendly space where you can enjoy trendy drinks and savour simple, delicious balanced meals.

FAMILY & NOVOTEL A signature offer from each Novotel for each family at every step of their stay, including kids welcome gifts, play

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, Thailand; Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 4, Thailand; Novotel Brisbane South Bank, Australia

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DESIGN

Design Your Memories

At Hôtel de la Coupole, MGallery mixing classical comfort and Indochine charm.

Look forward to timeless elegance, a stylish spirit and charming vestiges of Vietnam’s history when you stay at Accor’s MGallery Hotel Collection. BY GR ACE MA TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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DESIGN

to the allure of historic Hanoi, Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi, MGallery echoes the majesty of the nearby century-old Hanoi Opera House with its striking colours, lush jewel-toned fabrics and elegant French décor.

Feel like a celebrity in this boutique beauty that exudes colonial splendor and contemporary grandeur as you spend restful nights in cozy luxurious rooms decked in wooden flooring and vibrant Asian textiles and silks, and equipped with pampering amenities. Actually, you’ll feel like you’re in a different era, one with all the mod cons. After a day of exploring the city’s serene lakes and historic streets, wind down with hearty meals of classic Vietnamese specialties at Satine Restaurant or Mediterranean-style à la carte and buffet dining at Café Lautrec, then continue dinner conversations at Parisian-style lounge La Fée Verte, which has a detailed drinks list of aged spirits, creative cocktails and imported wines.

There’s also an indoor swimming pool with an open-air terrace, a day spa, gym and sauna.

R AISING THE CURTAINS

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MGallery, where modern comfort goes hand in

Each and every MGallery aims to evoke a sentiment, to tell a story as captivating and as unique to its location as the Hanoi tale.

Whether it’s bespoke design or wellbeing dedicated to women, MGallery guests are enriched simply by staying at one of the 90 boutique properties around the world.

Beyond Hanoi, MGallery (mgallery.com) has left its mark around Vietnam. It’s the little details that dazzle in Hotel Royal Hoi An, MGallery. Inspired by the love story between a Japanese merchant and a Vietnamese princess, the hotel’s majestic architecture plays out the marriage between Indochine-inspired design and delicate Japanese touches. Historical charm flows through the modern well-appointed rooms, several of which have balconies with city or river views. Hotel Royal Hoi An’s location besides the serene Thu Bon River offers the perfect base to explore places of interest such as the city’s unesco World Heritagedesignated Old Quarter, the 18th-century Japanese Covered Bridge and Tan Ky House.

Relaxing at the hotel is pretty cool too: swim in the Art Nouveau outdoor pool; be pampered at The Woosah Spa; enjoy a cocktail with spectacular views from the city’s highest rooftop bar The Deck Hoi An, where a DJ isn’ out of the norm; or tuck into delicious fare at The Attic, open kitchen Faifo Café, or at Hoi An’s first high-end Japanese dining venue, Wakaku Restaurant.

Discerning business travellers and leisureseekers will revel in the glamorous romance of multi-award winning Hôtel des Arts Saigon,

FROM TOP: The Art Nouveau outdoor pool beckons at Hotel Royal Hoi An, MGallery; solitude at Le Spa, La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc, MGallery.

OPPOSITE FROM TOP: Hôtel des Arts

Saigon, MGallery; Hotel de l’Opera Hanoi, MGallery.

hand with classical French Indochine charm.

Rooms are imbued with a timeless chic, where wooden flooring and bespoke furniture by Vietnamese artisans play off muted fabrics and marble bathroom to create a warm and inviting ambience. Memorable art-filled dining experiences abound here too. The elegant Café Des Beaux-arts is a fashionable hangout for coffee or cocktails surrounded by stunning artworks. Modern Vietnamese and European cuisine is served at Saigon Kitchen, an all-day, open kitchen restaurant inspired by Asian street food, while the Social Club offers stunning skyline views and exquisite European dishes prepared with the freshest seasonal ingredients. In line with the MGallery “Inspired by Her” philosophy, find everything from female-inspired artwork to small touches that make female guests more welcome. But don’t think for a minute that this is all heritage or a step back into the past. The hotel’s showcase is its sexy, rooftop saltwater infinity pool that screams see and be seen.

Other chill-out options include a wellness spa and a fitness center.

Comfort and indulgence reign at 1920s French colonial-style La Veranda Resort Phu Quoc, MGallery, a stylish tribute to its founder Madame Catherine’s poignant family connection to the idyllic island. The seaside mansion’s well-appointed rooms exude classic and elegant Vietnamese grace with intricate details of dark mahogany wood and hand-

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DESIGN

painted mosaic tiles complementing pampering four-poster beds and spacious private verandas. Meals come with healthy backyard organic ingredients, whether it’s gourmet French and Vietnamese fine dining at The Peppertree or Mediterranean and Western favourites and themed buffets at all-day al fresco diner Le Jardin, while garden-inspired cocktails and a glass of estate wine are best savoured with the brilliant sunset views from Le Bar. Island discovery tours await intrepid adventurers who can choose to delve into Phu Quoc’s rich history and culture, go squid fishing on a traditional fishing boat or explore the Cua Can River in a kayak. Wellness-seekers can enjoy yoga by the sea or soothing artisanal organic oils and body treatments at Le Spa. Is a resort simply that if it’s also a pilgrimage site or in fact an entire village? The question will burn in the back of your mind once you find yourself on a spiritual journey back in time at Legacy Yen Tu, MGallery, a luxury wellness sanctuary perched 1,068 meters above the sea on Yen Tu Mountain.

This is the setting where Vietnam’s 13th-century King Tran Nhan Tong established Truc Lam Yen Zen Buddhism. The Bill Bensley-designed resort is near the

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FROM TOP: At the

Hôtel de la Coupole, MGallery; venturing back in time at Legacy Yen Tu, MGallery, a luxe wellness retreat.

unesco World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay, and features handcrafted materials and architecture built with traditional construction methods, blending heritage and spirituality with modern comfort. In fact, using the same styles as in the 13th century, this MGallery is designed to age: return in five years and it will have taken on an older, durable sheen. Rooms come with an outdoor patio living area and signature features such as wooden inked slabs traditionally used for calligraphy. Vegetarian dishes takes the spotlight in rustic Tho Quang where authentic Vietnamese cuisine is available, while Thien Tra Lobby Bar is the best place to enjoy sundowners with picturesque mountain views. Nature, wellness and spiritual-themed excursions can also be enjoyed in the nearby Hanh Huong Yen Tu village and the hotel’s Tue Tinh Am Wellness center with meditation, yoga and Truc Lam Zen sessions.

Hôtel de la Coupole, MGallery is another Bill Bensley masterpiece that creatively blends local culture, a rich French history and Sapa’s modern ambiance into one magnificent landmark—think of it as haute couture meeting hill-tribe style. Each room looks out to splendid views of the Sapa valley and rice fields, while the interiors are stamped with Bensley’s signature luxury style unfolding in rich textures, plush colourful fabrics, gilded flourishes and bathrooms with checkered-tile flooring. This may be the 21st-century but these comfortable touches of the past are what bring modern Vietnam to life.

CHEFS

Amazing Plates

Gathering some of the world’s top chefs in Bangkok, and advancing gastronomie ideals, Sofitel’s SO Amazing Chefs is a chance to try a multitude of Michelin-starred cooking all in one setting. BY ELOISE BASUKI PL AYING WITH CHOCOL ATE is like playing with fire— both should not be left unsupervised. Luckily, my cocoa playtime is under the guidance of one of the world’s best: Stéphane Bonnat, a fourth-generation French chocolatier from Bonnat—the oldest chocolate manufacturer in the world. As part of Sofitel’s 2018 SO Amazing Chefs event, Bonnat is here at SO/ Bangkok’s Chocolab to give our small group a crash course on all things to do with cocoa. Armed with raw cacao beans, bags of his single-origin dark chocolate and the lab’s kitchen tools, Bonnat imparts on us his dessert wisdom: the best ratio for a velvety smooth ganache, how to decorate bonbons like a pro, and that DIY chocolate ice cream isn’t as hard as you’d think. These sugar-loaded two hours are just a taste of what is to come at this year’s SO Amazing Chefs event, where Michelin-starred

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culinary maestros start fires of their own across Bangkok with a 10-day feasting your stomach may only just survive. each Sofitel adheres to “Gastronomie Francaise,” celebrating cooking traditions and practices by bringing them to life through gourmet experiences developed in quaint villages, storied vineyards and famed boulangeries. This ideal is centred on four keys to a French menu: bread; pastries; wine; and cheese and charcuterie. Pure-butter croissants by famed baker Bridor; the input of celebrated baguette maker Frederic Lalos; and at least one organic bread or pastry option all underscore Sofitel’s commitment to quality. Each hotel offers its own signature bread, while pastries often incorporate local flavours.

BEYOND THE THAI CAPITAL,

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Sofitel prides itself on its wine menu—both by the glass and the bottle—with celebrated French labels sharing the spotlight alongside bottles from the region and the rest of the world. Complementing these pours is the cheese buffet or trolley that visits every corner of France, while never overlooking more local offerings. Always keep an eye out for wine-and-cheese-themed events at Sofitel as well, whether it’s Beajoulais Nouveau Day or a cheesepairing class. Another key element of the French culinary tradition at Sofitel is the signature Apero Chic: small offerings of terrines, galantines and premium charcuterie, an inspired charcuterie board.

A prime example of this approach is at the Metropole Hanoi’s revamped angelina cocktail bar. The elegant bar seats up to 120 guests, while a separate whisky lounge tucked behind a charcoal curtain features velvet wingbacked chairs and a roaring fireplace, almost a setting out of a different era. The second level offers an intimate dining space with a seasonal menu that includes lobster rolls with caviar, Welsh lamb pie and Wagyu beef burgers topped with black truffles.

Established but continually ground-breaking is Spiral at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Known for

innovation, the restaurant is famed for its 21 ateliers— literally, special workshops where diners witness menus come alive before their eyes. Think Asian noodles, Peking duck, Korean, Filipino and a French patisserie and you start to grasp the idea. Each atelier reflects the authenticity and warmth both of an Asian hawker stall or a French market. The setting alone is as breathtaking as the menus, starting with the grandeur of a spiral staircase and three-storey high, floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manila Bay. THIS YEAR MARKS the eighth edition of So Amazing Chefs, taking place September 15–22 in Bangkok. With eight Michelin chefs and eight varied activities, the event promises to please every palate. Star chefs from Japan, France, Spain Holland, Germany and the U.S. will be in the kitchens. Add into this mix, masters when it comes to cheese, oysters, boulangerie and dim sum, not to mention an Iron Chef FROM TOP LEFT: winner from Thailand, and every Hard at work at tastebud is catered for. Over the the Chocolab; the course of two days is the SO Amazing cheese selection Chef Competition Culinary at Spiral’s Showdown, pitting teams of star chefs L’Epicerie.

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CHEFS

against each other in a fun event where the public can admire their cooking skills up close and personal.

But where this annual gastronomic get together really shines is in its SO Amazing Chefs Dinners, seven evenings of wine-matched, multi-course banquets cooked up by a star-studded line-up of chefs. Before the eight courses begin, we start with drinks at the Sofitel’s Hi-SO rooftop bar, looking out at the blushing sunset with a matching rose and lychee martini. Moving inside to Park Society, the restaurant’s vast views of the twinkling Bangkok skyline make a fitting arena for the culinary carnival to come. Our first plate, simply called “Just Carrot” sets the standard. Two-Michelin-starred, Hua Hin-based, Scottish chef James Noble has transformed the humble veg into a variety of textures from a mousse to a bread to an Indian-style deep-fried carrot bhaji.

Over the next seven courses, we’re served meals of art: smoked veal by two-starred French chef Thierry Drapeau comes surrounded by a cubist plating of potato gnocchi, spinach puree and truffle shavings; while Bastien Falkenroth’s king salmon swims in tangy ponzu and juicy pearls of coconut tapioca. We finish off with a cheese-plate by the Marchand brothers, along with Spanish chef María José San Román’s hojiblanca olive-oil ice cream. With each dish one-upping the next, it’s almost too hard to call FROM TOP: Wagyu favorites, but my vote goes with dessert. at angelina; SO The olive-oil ice cream is lush and rich Amazing Chefs food in disguise . despite being cream-free, and >>

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San Roman gets extra points for swinging by each table to feed us spoons of her spicy, herbaceous liquid gold.

Of course, SO Amazing has put on a finale to really prove the best cooks of the bunch: the Culinary Showdown. During this live, open-kitchen cooking event, four teams of chefs battle it out in front of the diners. Last year’s winners, the all-French Blue team— Drapeau, Guy Lassausai, Alexandre Demard, Joffrey Jacob and Benjamin Ben Sadou—won with their adapted dishes mirroring Thai street food: mussels in tempura with liquid nitrogen topped with shrimp and served with guacamole cream and a som tam gel.

Back in the SO Sofitel Chocolab, I’m considering it a win that my chocolate ice cream actually resembles ice cream at all. Despite this being my first-ever time making the icy treat, Bonnat’s teaching has turned out a soft and creamy scoop, with delicate bite from his 65-percent dark chocolate. We pour some of our hot, silky ganache over the frozen dessert. It’s way too indulgent, but then again, that is what this festival is all about. sofitel.com; Mixing things eight-course SO Amazing Chefs Dinner up at the 2019 Bt10,000, or Bt12,500 with wine angelina whisky pairing. lounge.

JAPANESE MENUS AT THE PULLMAN BANGKOK KING POWER

TENSHINO RESTAURANT A chic and innovative take on Japanese cuisine, Tenshino serves the freshest dishes with ingredients from Japan and France.

Starters include highlights such as Wagyu beef tartar, served with caviar and crispy leek nests, and Hokkaido scallops with roasted cauliflower.

Flown in daily from Japan is the freshest sushi and sashimi, while the oyster menu is direct from France. Hokkaido sea urchin,

soba with truffles (above) and Maine lobster are highlights in the main menu.

Designed as a French restaurant, one with the Japanese tradition for natural materials in mind, Tenshino is divided into five main sections, each with a different aesthetic. A five-metre communal table greets guests as they enter, while a bar area features curved booths and bistro-style marble tables. www. tenshinobangkok.com

TENKO OMAKASE In Japanese folklore, Tenko is defined as “heavenly fox,” which in turn represents chef Goji Kobayashi, whose years of culinary experience have helped turn this into the premier omakase restaurant in Bangkok. With more than 10 years of experience, chef Goji is considered an ichinin mae, which means independent chef.

The authentic and original taste of Japan comes to the fore here in a cultural dining experience

in a serene setting (above) that take your taste buds on an unforgettable journey.

At the heart of this dining experience is the quality produce, which reflects Japan's changing seasons. Ingredients are flown in from Japan daily. Among these are Takeshima A4 Wagyu beef, scallops from Hokkaido and Kyushu's red sea urchins, all served on artisanal Japanese ceramics. www. pullmanbangkokkingpower.com

Prepare for a new experience across Asia Pacific Discover how much you can do and save with an Accor Plus membership. accorplus.com

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort and Spa

BR ANDS

Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand.

Banyan Tree

Banyan Tree Lijiang, China.

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BANYAN TREE SPA As the first luxury oriental spa in Asia, Banyan Tree Spa introduces an exotic blend of ancient health and beauty practices which have been passed down from generations. High-quality services are delivered consistently by graduate therapists trained in Banyan Tree Spa Academies in Thailand and Indonesia, making it the market leader of Asia’s spa industry.

ROMANCE This signature touch applies across all Banyan Tree properties, making each destination ideal for romantic getaways, honeymoons, renewal of vows or destination weddings. From personalised Intimate Moments, breath-taking Destination Dining spots, private In-Villa Dining, romance is weaved seamlessly with a touch of rejuvenation, allowing couples to fully immerse in quality time with one another.

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SAFFRON - RESTAURANT The signature restaurant of Banyan Tree, Saffron stays true to the classic and ingenious culinary techniques passed on for generations across the Thai Kingdom.

STAY FOR GOOD Banyan Tree group’s sustainability platform that encourages guests and associates to partake in activities that empower local communities (35,000 meals provided to community members since 2014) and embrace environmental conservation (450,000 trees planted since 2007).

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand; Banyan Tree Samui, Thailand; Banyan Tree Shanghai On The Bund, China; Banyan Tree Macau, China

BR ANDS

Fairmont Jaipur, India.

Fairmont AT THE HEART OF THE DESTINATION Each Fairmont hotel, whether historic or new, is intrinsically linked to the heart of the destination, playing a central role in the community as host of the most notable events.

FAIRMONT GOLD Fairmont Gold represents our next level of hospitality: it includes a dedicated space in many of our hotels, featuring elevated guest room design and a fully staffed Fairmont Gold residents-only lounge.

MEETINGS & EVENTS Fairmont’s brand name – according to J.D. Power – is the most highly regarded amongst luxury meeting and event planners. Fairmont hotels can accommodate midscale and large events at various price points, without compromising on luxury.

PARTNERSHIP WITH REEBOK Fairmont has linked up with Reebok for fitness apparel and jogging shoes.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Fairmont Shanghai Peace Hotel, China; Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, Maldives; Fairmont Jaipur, India; Fairmont Singapore

Fairmont Shanghai Peace Hotel, China.

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L OYA LT Y

Your Rewards

Accor’s extensive loyalty program, MyResorts, offers something for everyone at each of its locations around Asia. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised at exactly what that means for your next vacation.

after traveling all day, you’re perched at Toya Beach Bar and Grill at the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort to catch the sunset. Better still is that there’s a three-hour window from 3pm to 6pm that includes free cocktails, Heineken or Bintang beer if you’re enrolled in MyResorts, the exclusive Le Club AccorHotels benefits program designed to provide members extra value that says “thank you for choosing Accor.”

You’ve just discovered that the perks start before guests even arrive at the hotel or resort, with all the available extras outlined prior to check-in. Elite members enjoy personalized check in at the Lobby Lounge.

For starters, all membership tiers can enjoy MyGlass, a personalized beverage experience that guests can enjoy for their entire stay or even for one day only. Each resort has the flexibility to customize its drink according to the locale and the guest profile. MyGlass goes >>

DAY ONE OF YOUR VACATION AND,

FROM TOP: Drinks in the pool at the Sofitel

Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort; enjoying some down time in-room at the resort.

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Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi

Stunning resorts across Asia Pacific

INCREDIBLE BENEFITS JUST FOR MEMBERS Discover more at accorhotels.com/myresorts

L OYA LT Y

well beyond simply enjoying a drink. Think along the lines of a two-hour wine tasting session or take part in a cocktail-making class.

When you’re headed off on vacation, it’s a given that you want to be spoiled. At the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort, there’s even a PIC (Person In Charge) who you can contact during your stay until you check out. It’s just a small thank you for your loyalty.

For Platinum members, the resort offers a gift of chocolates on arrival and some local coffee to take home once you depart.

OF COURSE, Accor’s loyalty program is available at each of its properties and rewards new members as well as top tier, returning guests. Better still, there’s an endless number of perks for everyone from you to your kids.

At Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi between midday and 5pm, when you're poolside, enjoy your favourite Margarita— classic, strawberry, passion fruit or mango— for US$6. If you're a Platinum member, up to two Margaritas are free each day as part of MyGlass. Local and foreign beers are on the

menu at the Sofitel Bali Nusa Dua Beach Resort as are free-flow cocktails during a three-hour stretch each afternoon.

At the other end of the age spectrum, MyKids is a vacationing parent’s dream. For a flat fee that varies among resorts, daily activities such as arts programs and meals are taken care of. Your well-travelled kids can even enjoy personalized check in that includes a registration card and key, and their own welcome drink. An arrival gift and daily treat are standard, the plan adaptable to every stay.

In Vietnam, that means homemade sweet, spicy and savoury rice crackers are part of the always-fun menu, while grilled banana chocolate cheese and chicken satay are on the menu at Indonesian resorts. MyKids is also an opportunity to teach the idea of learning from the local community and enjoying nature, with tree planting at the Novotel Bali Benoa and batik painting at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithan Beach just two options.

Adults will never feel left out. MyTreat is the ticket to high tea, or a platter of international and local desserts sent to your room. >>

FROM LEFT: Getting pampered at the

Fairmont Yangcheng Lake in China; the Clearwater Bay Lounge, Raffles Hainan.

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BR ANDS

SO/ Hua Hin, Thailand.

SO/

experiences that capture the vivacity and vibe of the locale, the trendiest of local scenes.

FASHION SIGNATURE A unique collection of design hotels, each SO/ is an artistic vision brought to life by a celebrated name from stylish, vibrant and expressive world of fashion, including works of Monsieur Christian Lacroix, Kenzo Takada and Karl Lagerfeld.

AVANT-GARDE DESIGN Every SO/ address is a creative and contemporary masterpiece, embellished with vivid design elements, textures, colours and influences of the destination, giving each hotel a one-of-a-kind personality and style.

PLAYFUL ENTERTAINMENT From tantalizing cocktails at the HI-SO rooftop bar to pulsating DJ beats and talk-of-the-town parties, SO/ energizes guests with surprising and entertaining happenings and social

SOME OF OUR FINEST: SO/ Singapore; SO/ Bangkok, Thailand; SO/ Hua Hin, Thailand; SO/ Auckland, New Zealand

SO/ Auckland, New Zealand.

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FROM LEFT: Grand Water Villa Sunset,

Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi; a family meal at the Fairmont Yangcheng Lake.

MyWellness permits access to fitness, spa and yoga sessions. Exercise programs, gym gear and even healthy dining and drinking options all help to revitalize, rejuvenate and reenergize your vacation. At the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi, relax with a 15-minute complimentary scalp massage and a 45-minute personalised training session at the wellness centre.

Going beyond the norm, MyDiscovery lists sky diving, bungy jumping and watersports among its many activities, but there’s also more sedate sightseeing tours and chances to immerse yourself in the local culture through conservation projects.

Guided tours by marine biologists are available daily, and nighttime snorkelling is a thing. Monkey Island, home to 2,000 macaques, is one tour that also includes a transoceanic ropeway with breathtaking views over a local fishing village.

On the very practical side of any stay, MyConnect is available to Silver, Gold and

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Platinum members and includes complimentary Internet for any number of devices, while MyExtratime allows guests to extend their resort experience beyond check-in and check-out, as early as 8am and as late as 5pm. If a room is not ready, silver, gold and platinum members can use the executive lounge until it is. MyUpgrade is available for gold and platinum members.

MyHost is a complimentary service for gold and platinum members, aimed at perfecting their stay. This door-to-door service includes anything from arranging homemade cocktails on arrival to escorting guests to their suite and coordinating all their luggage handling.

Any special requests or needs are taken care of, spa reservations, dinner plans.

Platinum members can take advantage of MyGuest, which allows them to extend benefits to his or her loved one. MyRewards aims to surprise and delight platinum members during their stay, via a gift, an experience and even a little bit more special attention.

BR ANDS

HĂ´tel de la Coupole, MGallery, Vietnam.

Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, MGallery, Thailand.

MGallery STORYTELLING Charming and delightful hotels with their own thoughtful stories, each hotel stages with talent a unique personality and story, experienced by guests through its architecture, interior design and service offers.

INSPIRED BY HER OFFER Inspired

by Her program seeks to meet the specific requirements of the female leisure and business travellers through a suite of services and amenities such as adjusted bathrobes, feminine touch in the F&B etc.

MEMORABLE MOMENT Every MGallery hotel creates a truly singular, charming and often extravagant experience of the destination that leaves guests with unforgettable memories.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, MGallery, Thailand; Hotel Des Arts Saigon, MGallery, Vietnam; Hotel Lindrum Melbourne, MGallery, Australia

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Feel Welcome Welcome Feel Kor e ah Korea i n South t u o S n i DISCOVER KOREA’S DYNAMIC CITYSCAPE & RICH CULTURAL HERITAGE WITH ACCOR AMBASSADOR HOTELS

SEOUL | 15 Hotels INCHEON | 1 Hotel

24 HOTELS

FROM LUXURY TO ECONOMY IN 7 DYNAMIC CITIES

SUWON | 2 Hotels

DAEGU | 1 Hotel ULSAN | 1 Hotel CHANGWON | 1 Hotel

BUSAN | 3 Hotels

My Stories, My Korea

Create picture-perfect memories with Accor Ambassador hotels

Spoiled fo r choice w ith four ho variety of tels and a bars and restaurant s. ~ S eo ul D ra go n Ci ty ~

tory stroll through his An enchanting k" houses. no "ha of s red among hund k Vil lag e ~ ~ Bu kch on Ha no

The royal gu ard changing ceremony.

Spectacular! ~ Gw an gh wa m un

Ga te ~

p with the roofto Relaxing on s. gd on g ~ ew eo ul M ye on amazing vi ba ss ad or S s Am ~ ib is S ty le

A traditional Korean experience.

Authentic and exceptional. ~ Gyeongwonjae Ambassador Incheon ~

A refresh ~ N ov ot el

eautiful days in b ay idyllic Lazing aw Busan. e B ea ch ~ ~ H ae un da

ing dip in

A m ba ss

a pool w

ith a vie

ad or S eo ul D on gd ae

w.

m un ~

er in

Romantic evenings glow with wond downtown Seoul. ~ Cheon ggyec heon Strea m ~

Explore a world of fascinating stories at 24 Accor Ambassador hotels in seven destinations across South Korea.

JUNE 2019

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort in Thailand, page 64.

THERE’S SOMETHING FOR E VERY T Y PE O F T R AV E L L E R — C O U P L E S , FA M I L I E S , ADVENTURE SEEKERS—IN THE

MALDIVES P. 52

WHEN IN NEED OF SOME LOCAL FL AIR C O M B I N E D W I T H U N M AT C H E D H O S P I TA L I T Y, L O O K N O F U R T H E R T H A N

B A N G KO K A N D P H U K E T C O U L D N ’ T B E MORE DIFFERENT BUT BOTH ARE STILL G R E AT S T O P S F O R YO U R N E X T T R I P T O

NEW ZEALAND

THAILAND

P. 74

P. 64

T H E B E S T WAY T O G E T A T R U E TA S T E OF AN Y COUNTRY IS THROUGH ITS F O O D A N D D R I N K , PA R T I C U L A R LY I N

AUSTRALIA

AFTER YEARS ON THE CUTTING EDGE, THE TIME HAS NEVER BEEN B E T T E R T O V I S I T FA R - F L U N G

P. 81

PHU QUOC P. 88

TA K E A S T E P B A C K I N T I M E T O ANOTHER AGE OF ASIA, BUT AL SO ENJOY A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE IN

MYANMAR P. 94

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A string of Water villas at the Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi.

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PARADISE AWAITS

BETWEEN SNORKELING TRIPS AND INNUMERABLE HAPPY HOURS, ASHLEY NIEDRINGHAUS DISCOVERS THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY SEASHELL IN THE MALDIVES AND UNCOVERS SOMETHING FOR EVERY TYPE OF TRAVELER, FROM ROMANTICS TO FAMILIES TO THE BUDGET-CONSCIOUS IN THIS ULTRA-LUXURIOUS COUNTRY.

High above Raffles Maldives Meradhoo.

LONG A DESTINATION THOUGHT OF ONLY FOR ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME JOURNEYS AND SKYHIGH PRICE TAGS, THE MALDIVES HAS TURNED A CORNER. HOME TO SOME 1,200 ATOLLS STREWN ACROSS THE INDIAN OCEAN, MOST WITH JAW-DROPPING OVERWATER VILLAS THAT HOVER ABOVE LUMINOUS BLUE WATERS, THIS WATER WONDERLAND IS ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE. LUXURY AT ITS FINEST ABOUNDS, AS DO ROMANTIC GETAWAYS, PURELY ASPIRATIONAL ATOLLS AND WORLD-CLASS DIVING. YET, THE MALDIVES NOW OFFERS GETAWAYS FOR FAMILIES WHO ARE SEARCHING OUT VALUE THAT INCLUDES EVERY AGE GROUP. WHAT HASN'T CHANGED, AND WHY EVERYONE VISITS, IS A TO-THE-HORIZON SEASCAPE WITH COLORFUL REEFS AND PLENTIFUL SCHOOLS OF MARINE LIFE. AT THE END OF EACH DAY, MODERN COMFORTS AWAIT AT YOUR TROPICAL ATOLL, WHICH DOUBLES AS YOUR OWN PRIVATE ISLAND ESCAPE.

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Creature comforts at Raffles Maldives Meradhoo.

Swim in the pool or the ocean, the options are endless.

FOR THE POSH HONEYMOONERS

A LUXURIOUS FOODIE HAVEN LIKE NO OTHER Raffles Hotels are synonymous with luxury, so it’s no suprise that the brand’s first foray into the Maldives, the Raffles Maldives Meradhoo, is now open. Their home in this tropical paradise is the Gaafu Alifu Atoll in the southern strip of the country near the Equator, one of the largest and most remote atolls in the world.

Glamorous beach villas are built on the natural island, encircled by powdery white sand while the overwater villas rise out from the dappled turquoise water. The ultra-remote location is free of light pollution, so looking for shooting stars and dreaming of the far-off galaxies is a nightly pastime. The outdoor pool and shower in the 18 beach villas and three two-bedroom beach residences are an ideal spot to enjoy a starry night. With soft waves lapping against the stilts of the above-water villa, the lavish one- and two-bedroom addresses are reached aboard a Maldivian bonito, a traditional fishing boat.

Terraces in the overwater villas have glass panel floors where electric blue trumpet fish, rays and even green sea turtles flutter through the crystal-clear water to create dazzling personal aquariums. Marble bathrooms, heavenly beds and soothing soft blue hues add to the natural elements of the light-filled and generously proportioned villas.

Enjoy fresh-cut fruits and flaky pastries at breakfast, choose a bottle of premium Champagne at the pool bar in the afternoon and end the day with fresh seafood at Nikkei, where creative and skilled chefs deliciously interpret Peruvian cuisine through a local lens with Japanese precision. The adjoining Overwater Bar favors South American and Japanese spirits, with lots of mezcal, tequila, pisco, and sake, and pairings complement fish tacos and fresh-caught oysters. Plucked-from-the-sea prawns, delicious grouper and lobsters are marinated and grilled at Firepit, a gourmet beachside barbecue with an exceptional list of Old and New World wines. Complete your stay with a rejuvenating spa treatment and swim past dazzling coral walls as you mingle with the schools of tropical fish that await in the warm waters. www. raffles.com/maldives; villas from US$1,778 with breakfast.

Recliners with a view, or two.

A beach with surreal colours in every direction.

A spacious Tented Jungle Villa.

FOR THE FAMILY THAT TRAVELS IN STYLE SPACIOUS VILLAS WITH ENDLESS PERKS

Tucked away on the western rim of the Shaviyani Atoll, the all-villa Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi occupies a delightfully remote slice of sand surrounded by water that is such a perfect shade of turquoise it looks like an Instagram filter in real life. Guests arrive at this tropical paradise after a scenic hour-long seaplane flight from Malé. In total, the 120 villas are a blend of art and nature made from natural materials, indigenous decorations and native patterns. One of the country’s biggest islands, and its lagoon, richly populated with 250 species of colorful reef fish, is also top of the charts for size. Yet, the biggest attraction for divers and snorkelers alike are the manta-cleaning stations found under the waves here.

Witnessing manta rays in their natural habitat like this is priceless. Trade the saltwater and sea turtles for a round of cocktails in the 200-meter-long infinity pool— another bigger-than-most amenity—that traverses the length of the island.

Across a trio of accommodation options, 120 villas offer something for every vacation style. Honeymooners delight in over-water villa, an essential fixture of any Maldivian resort, that have generously sized sundecks with hammocks and a huge infinity pool, where newlyweds can choose their preferred villa view of sunrise or sunset. Targeting multi-generational families are roomy beach villas that have plunge pools and childcentric hangout zones, including a kid’s club, toddler play garden and an area exlusively aimed at teens. Adventure seekers will find a home in the safari-like tented jungle villas with outdoor pools. Around the resort, personal

villa hosts fulfill any wish from dive lessons in the undiscovered reef around the island to private barbecues. A breezy chic style brings a cohesive look and feel to the villas by using light woods and a natural pop of color coming from the floor-to-ceiling views of the turquoise waters.

One of the many show-stopping elements in the resort is the semi-submerged art gallery, the first of its kind in the Maldives, created by renowned underwater naturalist and artist Jason deCaires Taylor. The configurations of the gallery were designed to act as an artificial reef and it’s a high-end coral regeneration project that is a sanctuary for the marine life. Guests can snorkel around the stainless-steel cubes and enjoy the vibrant coral. www.fairmont.com/maldives; villas from US$1,020 on a half-board rate.

A Water villa premium bathroom at the Fairmont.

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FOR THE ECO-LUXE FAMILY

A NEW RESORT GETS ENVIRONMENTAL KUDOS

Clean, ecofriendly lines of the Movenpick.

Unforgettable sunset views.

Villas adapt to the natural environment.

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If the Maldives is home to a resort truly aimed at young families, then Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives is it, from its kid-friendly guestrooms to restaurants offering a specially created Powerbites menu for children. Parents win too.

While mom and dad enjoy a yoga class or time in the spa, children ages two to 12 are well looked after in the Little Bird kids’ club where they can learn about the local culture through immersive games and activities, participate in educational but fun eco-friendly activities, or enjoy a cooking class. And when it comes to mealtime, the chefs creatively transform meals into beachscapes with palm trees made from veggies and a scoop of fried rice mimicking the sand, adding a touch of whimsy to kid-specific meals with the Powerbites menu. Clunky baby gear, like playpens, strollers, car seats and even baby baths are available, allowing families to travel light.

There’s another aspect of Mövenpick Resort Kuredhivaru Maldives that shouldn’t go unnoticed, even under a tropical sun: its Swiss roots. Unwind in a café culture environment with top quality Mövenpick products including coffee, chocolate, ice-cream and wine. Or indulge in a sweet treat during the afternoon: a glass of iced coffee or a scoop of ice-cream. Then there’s the daily—and complimentary—Mövenpick Chocolate Hour, which is as delicious as it sounds. Later in the day, wine tastings—there is a test at the end to sharpen your ability to identify labels—at the Mövenpick Coffee & Wine Lounge take place at sundown. To cap off a perfect day, the menu at Bodumas offers local and Asian dishes, and Western classics, all with a 360-degree ocean view.

The aim here is to make sure the vibrant islands and coral reefs are around for generations to come. Those efforts arise in several ways, from reducing plastic waste, paperless check-in and out and avoiding over packaging to installing solar panels that produce clean energy and building an in-house plant that eliminates the need for 300,000 plastic water bottles a year.

Incorporating the island’s natural resources and elements is a design element, and the furniture and structural elements come from coconut wood. During construction, the island’s indigenous palm trees were not disturbed, so the lush island has plenty of shade under swaying palms. The 72 overwater pool villas have nets suspended over water, and private pools jut out from the wooden deck, giving the sensation of floating in the sea. The 30 beach pool suites offer sunrise and sunset views, and follow an open-concept floor plan that includes rattan furniture, a free-standing stone bathtub and a spacious pool deck. On the second story veranda, panoramic views await. Dip into the plunge pool or the ocean water without ever leaving the comfort of the suite. All of the resort’s villas and communal spaces adopt techniques from local architecture, and the Asianinspired peaked roofs are dramatic. www.movenpick. com; suites and villas from US$588 with breakfast. >>

Overwater Sunset Pool Villas beckon.

FOR VALUE-SEEKING TRAVELERS

AFFORDABLE VILLAS PACKED WITH STYLE Located in the far southern reaches of this sweeping island nation, the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort is known for its remote location, one that is only a 55-minute flight from Male. Value seekers score well here for the 68-villa resort offers some of the best diving in the Maldives, its deep channels providing an underwater setting unlike anywhere else in the country.

Gaafu Alif Atoll lies in southern region of the Maldives archipelago, a mere 100 kilometers north of the Equator.

These seas are renowned for its prodigious marine life, mature vegetation, soft sand beaches and easy access.

Where the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort offers great value, it doesn’t skimp on character or luxury, with 43 overwater villas not to mention 25 more along the secluded beach. Each has outdoor showers, deep soaking tubs and punchy accent colors that bring a touch of

Dining by design at the Mercure.

whimsy to the proceedings. Sun seekers and swimmers will delight in the overwater villas—15 with private pools—that have staircases that lead directly into the calm blue and green waters that halo the rooms.

For the ultimate in relaxed pampering, book a treatment at Suvadiva Spa. If a more adrenaline-packed afternoon is in order, the dive center can arrange a meeting with local sharks that harmlessly navigate the reef waters. Or, if something between these two pursuits hits the right note, take a stand-up paddleboard to the hammocks and cocktails at Vistas, an overwater lounge and cocktail bar.

Best of all, the magic of the Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort starts on the arrival flight where the dramatic scenery of the atolls insists that you book a window seat and have your camera ready: the views, and the memories that they provide, are nothing short of spectacular. www.mercure.com/maldives/kooddooresort; villas from US$238 including breakfast.

COMING SOON

A new and convenient ocean-borne address promises to increase the variety of what's available in the Maldives even more.

Welcome to the Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort.

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Pullman Maldives Maamutaa Resort From a seaplane, the first thing visitors will notice about the 120-villa Pullman Maldives Maamutaa is how green the island actually is. Yet, the resort is only 10 minutes by speedboat away from the new airport at Kooddoo. Set amid azure seas, the resort consists of 80 bungalows above the water and another 40 located along beaches.

Don't overlook the spa, two swimming pools, organic gardens, and—of course—a tennis court. Your serve and volley have never seen such a setting.

Among the unique experiences at the resort are a champagne breakfast with a variety of cuisines from every corner of the globe.

Lunch involves a selection of light meals and snacks, a salad bar and a dessert bar, while dinner’s fine dining options include mouthwatering Italian, organic and international menus.

Cosy up to the bar for a selection of champagnes, whiskeys in the 15to 18-year range, a fridge full of international beers, and more than 80 exotic wine labels—both New World and Old. Don’t miss out on Pullman’s hand-crafted cocktails and mocktails, or the long list of fresh juices, milk shakes, soft drinks and mineral water.

For the active set, there’s dawn and dusk Tai Chi and yoga sessions, and each stay includes one adventure excursion. Try your hand fishing at sunset while your kids are enjoying the resort’s kids club. At the Pullman Aqua Club is complimentary snorkeling equipment and two snorkeling excursions shuttles each day. Windsurfers, catamarans, canoes and stand-up paddleboards are also available.

All guests are eligible for at least one 60-minute spa session or a dive, provided they have a PADI certificate. pullman.com.

BR ANDS

Pullman Bangkok King Power, Thailand.

Pullman Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach, Thailand.

THE JUNCTION AT PULLMAN The Junction is a fresh new take on the lobby concept and is at the very heart of the Pullman guest experience. It is a destination in itself, a dynamic, vibrant and happening place where global nomads check in and out, meet and mingle, work and play.

PULLMAN POWER FIT & SPA CONCEPT At Pullman, we understand that feeling good is crucial to peak performance and offer global nomads exciting and rewarding ways to stay on top of their game. Our Wellness Ambassador Sarah Hoey’s holistic approach to Sport, Spa, Sleep and Food boosts our guests’ daily life in a powerful way.

IMMERSIVE ART & DESIGN A stay at Pullman is an opportunity for our guests to be immersed in art

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and design in a fresh, modern and inspiring way. Exhibitions take place in living spaces lending to the Pullman’s creative vibe and invite guests to discover local up-andcoming artists, connecting them to the city they are in.

PULLMAN RESORTS We continually imagine new ways of doing business and unwinding in an ever more connected world. Our guests can work and play as they disconnect from the pressures of daily life and reconnect with loved ones and oneself.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach, Thailand; Pullman Bangkok King Power, Thailand

BR ANDS

Vitarity room in Swissôtel The Stamford, Singapore.

SwissÔtel SWISS HOSPITALITY Contemporary hotels designed with the quality and care of Swiss hospitality. We are Swiss at heart and global by nature. We offer guests the quality of life, vitality and peace of mind they need to explore the world and discover life's true rewards. Life is a journey, Live it well.

PÜROVEL The Pürovel philosophy is derived from the origin of wellbeing and use of nature’s resources. The Pürovel essence is transfused in Pürovel Spa & Sport facilities,

Pürovel bathroom amenities and signature treatments.

Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, Japan.

SWISSÔTEL VITALITY ROOM A new perspective on well-being and hospitality. Launched in October 2016, the stylish sanctuary includes bespoke wellness features to help guests maintain their mental and physical health. The innovative concept builds on Swissôtel’s well-received Vitality Programme.

THE QUARTER Signature restaurant at Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts a reminiscent of a brasserie/bistro, international and eclectic, a restaurant where locals ‘want to be’, embracing contemporary design as well as the values of Swissôtel as a brand with an emphasis on fresh, local and sustainable products.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Swissôtel Sydney, Australia; Swissôtel Nankai Osaka, Japan; Swissôtel The Stamford, Singapore; Swissôtel Merchant Court, Singapore

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A pool with a view at SO/ Bangkok.

Bangkok and Phuket couldn’t be more different, but they do share the ongoing ability to evolve and constantly surprise visitors, so it’s never a bad time to explore the country’s most popular stops once again.

BY DUNCAN FORGAN

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TWO SIDES OF THAILAND

Lounging at the Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach.

Wat Arun along the Chao Phraya river at dusk.

The Speakeasy atop the Hotel Muse Bangkok.

Langsuan, MGallery

BANGKOK MIGHT NOT EVOKE IMAGES OF CHILLING OUT, FRENETIC AS THE BIG CITY IS, BUT AS I TAKE A PEW AT PARK SOCIETY AND SUP MY WAY THROUGH A SUNDOWNER,

I FIND MYSELF LULLED INTO A REVERIE by the drink and my immediate surroundings.

Benefitting from the prized perch high above Lumpini Park—one of the more sizeable patches of greenery in the Thai capital—the bar at the sumptuous SO/ Bangkok is a stellar addition to the city’s sky-high club: its impressive roster of rooftop drinking venues.

The views across the park with its lakes and luminous tropical greenery are impressive. My gaze is drawn to the chrome-and-glass towers that dominate the skyline on the other side of the park; vertigo-inducing structures that were but a distant twinkle in the eyes of ambitious developers when I first visited nearly 20 years ago. What has not changed—and at this realization I raise a quiet toast—is the ability of Bangkok and, indeed, Thailand, to hit the sweet spot of travelers.

At once chaotic, confusing, but also utterly magical, the inexhaustible capital is as spellbinding as ever. Regularly voted one of the best cities on the planet by visitors, the city remains a place of seemingly endless contrasts.

Here old merges seamlessly with new, the spiritual is balanced with the earthly and the sacred is on first name terms with the profane.

Although it retains its innate exoticism, Bangkok’s breakneck evolution means that even experienced hands like me are constantly presented with fresh fuel for our ardour. On any given day, visitors can kick back at an authentic Japanese-style onsen, take an art excursion to hip galleries such as Case Space Revolution and Cartel Artspace, browse Thai designer fashion at Siam Center and round off an evening with bespoke cocktails at speakeasy-style bars like Rabbit Hole and J Boroski Mixology.

Best of all, this eclecticism is at play in a wide variety of neighbourhoods, ranging from some of the city’s most venerable quarters to upscale enclaves pulsing with vital energy.

What’s more, all these areas are easily accessible via the city’s separate Skytrain and subway networks, with many stations a short hop from properties such as SO/ Bangkok, Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit and others in the Accor family.

Take Sathorn and Silom, for example, just a stone’s throw from my perch at Park Society.

The two districts have been synonymous with Thailand’s financial growth. It’s not just the swanky condos, international hotels and glittering skyscrapers bearing the names of big-name multinationals that make this part of Bangkok so dynamic. It’s also the fact that the twin ’hoods have evolved to offer one of the most rounded lifestyle packages in the capital.

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BANGKOK

As diverse as the Thai capital itself, the city’s top hotel addresses cater to every budget, offering stylish comfort, convenient locations and—of course—some of the best Thai food imagineable.

Grand Mercure Bangkok Fortune.

Everything at one address in The Commons.

Cultural draws and must-visit restaurants abound with stars including dining hotspots Bunker and Eat Me and buzzing bars like Smalls and Namsaah Bottling Trust.

On a personal note, I’m especially drawn to Bangkok’s Chinatown, which has witnessed an injection of vital energy courtesy of some of the city’s most creative bars and galleries.

Venturing into the melee of the old city affords an opportunity to get acquainted with ventures such as Cho Why, an independent art space, and Teens of Thailand a super-cool shophouse gin bar. With old-school markets and hidden shrines lurking nearby, it’s arguably the most charismatic place to wander in Bangkok.

Temple hopping and immersion into traditional Thai culture is not such a thing in areas such as Ekkamai and Thong Lor. However, for entertainment and creature comforts there are no better places to be.

Highlights of these ultra-hip hoods include restaurants like Canvas and Freebird, where chefs adopt a freewheeling approach to local ingredients. Also trending is The Commons, an open-plan community mall that features several star names from the city’s F&B scene.

Other ventures worth seeking out here include ZudRangMa, a vinyl lover’s paradise that specializes in exotic sounds from Africa and Asia, and Keaton the Tailor, a playful and original stop on the map that eschews the old school personality of many of the city’s endless list of outfitters. >>

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Grand Mercure Bangkok Fortune A favorable location right on Bangkok’s subway system places this newly renovated hotel right in the thick of things, with easy links to highlights such as the old city and Chatuchak Weekend Market. Thai flavours abound at the property through everything from the cuisine to traditional music performances. grandmercurebangkokfortune. com; from US$150.

Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan, MGallery Designed to evoke the “golden age of travel,” this boutique exudes effortless style and class. Warm wooden features and seductive lighting evoke the past, while Asian motifs counterbalance the European feel of the place. Special mention goes to Speakeasy: one of Bangkok’s most pleasant rooftop bars. hotelmusebangkok.com; from US$190.

Ibis Bangkok Riverside From its perch by the Chao Phraya River, nearby highlights include popular lifestyle and shopping venue Asiatique, while Bangkok bighitters such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun are but a ferry ride away. Ibis-bangkok-riverside. bangkokshotels.com; from US$63.

Ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai A funky and creative hotel in one of the hotspots for foreign tourists, the hotel offers simple but design led experience.

Nearby Streats is a one-stop culinary destination with three separate venues offering everything from gourmet bakery items to hearty comfort food. ibisstylesbangkokkhaosan.com; from US$100.

Novotel Bangkok Siam Square Although its proximity to some of Bangkok’s most famous and modern shopping districts makes it ideally placed for retail therapy, this property is not just geared towards shopaholics. Spacious rooms are ideal for kicking back in, while a generously sized outdoor pool ups the relaxation ante further. novotelbkk.com; from US$150.

Pullman Bangkok Grande Sukhumvit A stone’s throw from the city’s Skytrain system and the lifestyle amenities of Sukhumvit Road, this hotel couldn’t be better located. Other draws include the seafood buffet at Atelier restaurant and the small bites at Tapas Vino. pullmanbangkokgrandesukhumvit. com; from US$192.

Pullman Bangkok King Power A little north of the city’s main shopping area, this hotel fuses creature comforts with irresistible convenience. Airy rooms benefit from floor-to-ceiling windows while the property’s huge outdoor swimming pool is a winner. pullmanbangkokkingpower.com; from US$171.

SO/ Bangkok There’s plenty to admire about the SO/ Bangkok: not least its striking design by Christian Lacroix. Special mention though goes to its elevated bar, Park Society, which benefits from a prize perch high above Lumpini Park—one of Bangkok’s few sizeable patches of verdant greenery. so-sofitel-bangkok.com; from US$200.

Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit Also centrally located, this urban haven exudes Gallic flair in every corner of the hotel, from the bathroom amenities to the fresh baked croissants and patisserie items in its lobby café. The guest rooms here are as luxurious as you would expect from a Sofitel, while a gorgeous outdoor pool supplies extra joie de vivre. sofitel-bangkok-sukhumvit.com; from US$199.

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Angsana Velavaru, Maldives.

Angsana Laguna Phuket, Thailand.

Angsana ADVENTURE TRAVEL Angsana brings the adventure back into travel whatever your age or reason to visit. Intertwining local chic and a vibrant fun-filled atmosphere, Angsana offers amazing destination playgrounds across the world. Each hotel is designed to provide spacious stylish rooms and suites, perfect for couples, families and groups of friends.

A SPA, OF COURSE Angsana’s Spas embrace the contemporary, holistic and tropical garden spa concepts through all the resorts around Asia.

MEET AND GREET Corporate functions, business meetings or grand gala events, our resorts feature exclusive spaces in stunning locations. With a specialised Events Team and impeccable service, guests are assured of exceptional events.

DON'T FORGET YOUR FAMILY With various activities available for the kids, Angsana is the perfect family holiday destination. Enjoy all-day activities at the Kids Club, familyfriendly water and land activities and kids amenities.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Angsana Laguna Phuket, Thailand; Angsana Velavaru, Maldives; Angsana Lang Co, Vietnam; Angsana Tengchong Hot Spring Village, China

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Pool views at the Avista Grand Phuket Karon, MGallery.

SUCH INSPIRING EVOLUTION is not just confined to Bangkok: it applies to other top destinations in Thailand too. In particular, Phuket. So famous is the kingdom’s most popular island that you’d be forgiven for thinking it had no remaining secrets to reveal. But the so-called “Pearl of the Andaman” has proved itself rather adept at pulling rabbits from the hat.

With numerous chalk-white slivers of sand dotted around its perimeter, Phuket’s main claims to fame are its bays and seascapes. Rightly so. And the appearance of a clutch of inviting new beachside draws means that there has never been a better juncture to load up on, as the T-shirts say, Vitamin Sea. Yes, Phuket is a playground. And it’s well beyond the days of a shovel and pail at the beach. At the Novotel Phuket Surin Beach Resort, the Siam Adventure Club offers a Popsicle hotline, which is exactly what it sounds like. Any kid can pick up the phone, order their favorite flavor and it will be delivered in minutes free of charge.

The Siam Adventure Club also offers a video arcade aimed at kids four years old and up, but also at parents who need their own break with the help of classic games such as the Mario Bros and Donkey Kong. A cinema and candy store round out the attractions here.

At the Grand Mercure Phuket Patong Resort & Villas, authentic Thai dishes at Jewel of Phuket’s Cuisine are seasoned to family tastes. Mee Hoon Gaeng Poo, yellow crab curry with vermicelli noodles, and Oh Aew, banana jelly and palm seed coconut ice

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cream, are just two courses that will please every member of the family.

Away from the resorts, there’s no shortage of menus that kids will enjoy. Jungceylon is a magnet for both shopping and eating, with a please every palate list of sandwiches and pizzas and ice cream, Mediterranean and Japanese and, of course, Thai offerings all making the cut here.

To burn off some of that lunch, head to Dino Park Mini Gold between Karon and Kata beaches. It’s 18 holes set against a prehistoric backdrop—there’s even a Flintstones-themed restaurant—isn’t, how to put this, a normal golf course. Life-like dinos are ready to snap up any errant golf ball, while the hazards include an erupting volcano. Most importantly, it’s a great escape from the tropical sun.

On Kamala Beach, legendary Ibiza name Café del Mar packs in revelers with a tried and tested blend of ingredients that encompasses great food, international DJs, a big party pool lined with loungers and plenty of day beds. Just as popular with the party crowd is Bliss Beach Club, overlooking the porcelain-white sands of Bangtao Beach in the quieter north of Phuket. >>

FAMILY-FRIENDLY PHUKET PARADISE

BIG SMILES THAI STYLE

AWARD-WINNING HOSPITALITY IN BEAUTIFUL KAMALA BEACH Plenty of room to stretch out and relax. Lush tropical gardens. And a lagoon-style pool with a kids area and waterslide. Welcome to an idyllic island retreat that’s pure happiness for your entire family.

SWISSOTEL.COM

AMERICAS | ASIA PACIFIC | EUROPE | MIDDLE EAST

While life on this popular island does tend to be a beach, there are plenty of other diversions around. For visitors looking for some retail therapy, the most convenient collection of high-end boutiques is located at The Plaza Surin.

Standout shops here include Andara Boutique with its comprehensive and colorful selection of resort wear and Soul of Asia, where art and antiques from around the region are a boon for browsers and buyers alike. Close by is Bampot where Scottish chef Jamie Wakeford has forged a formidable word of mouth reputation around the island with his creative, modern European menu.

While I appreciate the never-ending buzz of popular beaches such as Patong, Kata and Karon and the laid-back reverie of stretches along the coast like Kamala and Naithon, my own personal happy place on the island is Phuket Town itself.

The island’s capital used to be largely overlooked by visitors eager to arrive at the beaches, but tourists are starting to fall for the town, which is redolent with reminders of Phuket’s rich history of trade. The best place to launch an investigation is along Thalang Road, the historical heart of Phuket Town and home to some of its best-preserved examples of heritage architecture.

A short hop away is Raya House, one of the most famous restaurants in a food-obsessed town. Visitors can slurp down the venue’s famous crab curry— so good that it has become an Instagram hit. Yet while its signature dish has become a social media star, the beautifully preserved Sino-Portuguese structure that houses the restaurant is a stately portal to a bygone era. It’s a reminder that the magic of Thailand resides in its ability to offer new experiences without losing track of its enchanting past.

Never pass up a seafood meal in Phuket.

PHUKET

There’s more than a few unforgettable beaches on Thailand’s favorite island, so after your days on the sand are fulfilled, make sure you explore the rest of the getaway through its great resorts

Avista Grande Phuket Karon, MGallery Phuket’s rich heritage as a hub of trade is celebrated via the Sino-Portuguese design touches found around this property. The resort’s signature restaurant Portosino expands on this theme with its mash-up of Asian and European culinary styles. Karon beach—one of Phuket’s finest stretches of sand —is right on the doorstep. avistagrande-phuket-karon.com; from US$100 per night.

Avista Hideaway Phuket Patong, MGallery Downtown Patong’s freneticism seems a world away at this suitably named refuge. Laid out in the style of a traditional Thai village on a lush hilltop overlooking the Andaman Sea, the resort has numerous enticing calling cards including three swimming pools, two restaurants and a rooftop bar. avistahideaway-phuket-patong.com; from US$120 per night.

Grand Mercure Phuket Patong With more than 300 rooms including sumptuous suites and a selection of pool villas, there’s a lot to discover at this expansive property. In fact, enticing foodand-beverage options such as a dedicated craft beer lounge and versatile international dining venue Bubbles mean that the resort offers a one-stop shop for guests near Phuket’s most buzzing beach. grandemercurepatong.com; from US$120 per night.

Ibis Styles Phuket City The myriad charms of Phuket Town are often overlooked by visitors eager to hit the island’s beaches. This sleek stop offers hip stays within easy reach of urban attractions including colorful traditional shophouses and an incredible selection of restaurants and food stalls. accorhotels.com; from US$50 per night.

Novotel Phuket Kata Avista Resort & Spa Overlooking the pristine sands of Kata Beach and the shimmering Andaman Sea, this resort is a solid all-rounder that offers more than just a little

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flair. An acclaimed spa features a range of wellness packages, while the swim up pool bar is a suitably amenable option for leisurely drinks. novotel-phuket-kata-avista.com; from US$120 per night.

Pullman Phuket Arcadia Naithon Beach For an idyllic Phuket getaway, look no further than this diamond of a property.

Perched on a headland overlooking the Andaman Sea, the resort offers the ultimate in rest and relaxation. While Naithon Beach is just a minute’s walk from the property, two outdoor pools offer an alternative to the ocean. pullmanphuketarcadia.com; from US$120 per night.

Pullman Phuket Panwa Beach Resort Sense of place is an important factor when it comes to choosing a resort. And Thai touches abound at this beautiful property. Subtle accents inform the decoration of the rooms, Thai cuisine is the mainstay at Tamarind restaurants, while relaxing massages can be enjoyed at the resort’s Talay Spa. pullmanphuketpanwa.com; from US$100 per night.

Swissotel Resort Phuket Kamala Beach Located near one of Phuket’s most laid-back beaches, this resort is the perfect choice for a relaxing family vacation. Indeed, a centerpiece pool complete with waterslide offers scope for some serious splashing. Highlights include the Serenity Spa and inviting rooms equipped with private balconies. swissotelphuketkamala.com; from US$60 per night.

Swissotel Resort Phuket Patong Beach. With spacious rooms, a lush pool and the Andaman Sea just 200 meters away, this resort supplies all the ingredients for an idyllic beach break. Highlights of the property include the excellent Thai and international cuisine at Flavours restaurant and a swimup pool bar. swissotelphuketpatong.com; from US$100 per night.

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Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali, Indonesia.

Mövenpick Jimbaran Bali, Indonesia.

MÖvenpick Mövenpick Colombo, Sri Lanka.

MÖVENPICK WINE, COFFEE, CHOCOLATE… Mövenpick is the only hotel company that can offer its own branded range of fine food and beverages – from coffee and chocolate to yoghurts. A moment to enjoy true quality and to reflect on our food heritage which stretches back to 1948.

MÖVENPICK SIGNATURE DISHES Traditional Swiss recipes revisited

by Mövenpick to entice the modern palate, marrying tradition with culinary innovation.

MÖVENPICK SLEEP Mövenpick SLEEP rooms include a large array of in-room amenities, arranged by us, to enhance guests’ sleep experience.

These rooms are situated in quiet areas of our hotels.

MÖVENPICK BALANCED LIVING Mövenpick Balance is a concept to enhance guests’ life during their stay.

It includes healthy food, individually different sleep, inner peace and commitment to the community.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Mövenpick Colombo, Sri Lanka; Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bali, Indonesia

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The Kiwi Connection Two addresses in New Zealand offer stylish stays, each with a distinct touch of their locale combined with Kiwi hospitality. BY LINDY ALEX ANDER

L

ET THERE BE LIGHTS. Lots of them. You get the feeling it’s an idea the designers of Auckland’s newest hotel, SO/Auckland, took to heart as you spot the imposing mega-chandelier created by Dutch design house Moooi in the entry foyer. The branches of the enormous chandelier hold 68 individual lamps of diverse styles, from dusky pink and transparent bell-shaped lights to twinkling fairy-lit orbs. It’s an installation that immediately strikes you with its scale, playfulness and beauty.

But with light also comes shade and in keeping with the modern, urban hotel trend that eschews a traditional lobby, check-in is at Mixo, the ground-floor cocktail bar featuring moody South American volcanic blue stone tiles on the walls and shimmering black flooring. There is visual relief in the form of plush, velvet armchairs, fiery lava-coloured carpets, tall vases filled with flowers and suspended glass bouquets of flower blossoms above the bar.

Opened in November and just a block from the water, the hotel is the latest of eight SO properties, which stretch from Bangkok to Berlin, Mauritius to Singapore. Each SO hotel pays tribute to its location through collaborations with high-profile names from

the world of fashion and design such as Kenzo, Christian Lacroix, and Viktor & Rolf.

The first SO to open in the Pacific region, renowned local fashion innovator WORLD was engaged to create bold and energetic designs for the property over a three-year period. The in-room artwork right down to the wallpaper, cushions for the chauffeured cars and the individualized, hand-made uniforms for the staff, are all meticulously detailed and extravagantly executed.

Drawing on Auckland’s rich volcanic geography, the hotel’s emblem is a stylized topographical map of the city. “The swirling, hypnotic effect feels as though you’re looking directly into the eye of a volcano,” says Benny Castles, designer and director for WORLD. “It reflects that feeling of stepping into a boutique hotel—a hypnotic experience where the outside world is left behind and a new experience begins.”

The dynamic theming of the hotel flows into the 130 guest rooms, and gives a nod to the building’s history as the former Reserve Bank, which once housed New Zealand’s gold reserves. The suites are decorated in three different styles: vapor, liquid and solid, and each room references earthly elements—think rust-coloured padded velvet headboards, white cushions with a swirling black vortex, gold hand basins, and black and gold carpets.

The glamour and bling continues on the 15th floor, where Michelin-starred French chef Marc de Passorio is at the helm in the hotel’s restaurant, Harbour Society. The menu is French-inspired but features Kiwi flavours,

Marc de Passorio. TOP

FROM LEFT: A

Harbour Society entree; the view at SO/ SPA. OPPOSITE FROM TOP: The

definitive portecochere at SO/ Auckland; the Green Room bar, Sofitel Wellington.

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T

A Cocktail Trio at The Green Room, Sofitel Wellington.

ABOVE: Jardin Grill restaurant.

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with exquisitely presented dishes such as the codfish poached in spiced milk with seasonal vegetables and aioli, and lamb rack with raspberry harissa. For de Passorio, working at the hotel is a culinary adventure. “New Zealand offers so many things, from fantastic produce and wine to amazing scenery wherever you go, fresh air and generous, friendly people,” says de Passorio. “When I was invited to join SO/ Auckland as the Head Culinary Designer I felt it was fate and an offer impossible to refuse.”

Another offer impossible to refuse is cocktails at the HI-SO rooftop bar. With sweeping views over the harbour and the rising volcanic cone of Rangitoto Island, the lively indoor-outdoor bar is the perfect spot to order a “sunset gun,” a beautifully balanced sweet and sour cocktail with a hint of smoke to nurse as you watch the sky turn pink over the city of sails.

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HE CHIC SOFITEL BR A ND has earned the enviable reputation for being able to effortlessly blend French sophistication with the local environment. But even so, when you’re greeted with a warm and genuine “bonjour!” at the Sofitel Wellington, you could be forgiven for momentarily forgetting where in the world you are.

Any lapses in memory are quickly remedied by home-grown hints scattered throughout the sumptuously furnished property, such as the gilded apple and pear sculptures (the hotel was once home to the New Zealand Apple and Pear Board), and the two-meterhigh glossy, botanical images of plump roses and hydrangeas by Kiwi photographer Vicky Fulton in the Green Room lounge and bar.

The décor calls on Paris’ iconic Jardin du Luxembourg, with the shimmering copper throughout the interior reminiscent of the garden’s beehives. Wellington’s lush botanic gardens are nearby and the framed botanical prints, floral frescoes and patterned wallpapers cultivate a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere.

Within the 129 guestrooms and suites, the French and botanical themes continue, with vintage gold and bronze tones, gilded lamps, velvet bedheads and heady Orange Amber Lanvin toiletries. But the opulence of Sofitel hotels is captured in the heart of every room— the luxurious custom-made MyBed. Together with the high-quality linen, pillow menu, and thick fluffy towels it’s tempting to call it a night (or day) and stay in.

But if you did, you’d be missing out on the Jardin Grill, where you can dine under vibrant blossoming paintings with a view into the glimmering copper kitchen. The menu celebrates New Zealand produce but with a twist, such as the chargrilled Merino lamb rib with yellow miso, chive yoghurt and caramelized onion, or the house made tagliatelle with black tiger prawns, tomato, spinach, chilli oil and crispy fried basil.

After you’ve lingered over your meal, the naturally friendly staff doesn’t hesitate to say, “bonne nuit” before you retire to your own little piece of France, right in the centre of New Zealand’s capital.

THE DETAILS SO/ Auckland Rates begin from NZ$469 per room per night and include a complimentary non-alcoholic minibar.

Sofitel Wellington Room rates start from NZ$269 per room per night.

BR ANDS

Grand Mercure Grand Mercure Jakarta Kemayoran, Indonesia.

Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire, Myanmar.

STORIES COME TO LIFE At Grand Mercure, we welcome each guest by enriching four brand senses: Welcome, Taste, Wellness and Discovery.

SENSE OF WELCOME A royal welcome awaits you at Grand Mercure Bangalore. We grace our guest with only the finest of embrace–a Mysore Peta, classical royal Indian attire worn by the kings.

SENSE OF TASTE Latitude 32 North is a birth place to great teas, including Xin Yang Mao Jian, which enjoys its reputation around the world for its beautiful shining shape, refreshing good taste and fragrance.

SENSE OF WELLNESS Immerse in the Sense of Wellness with our award-winning and locally crafted Ryn Spa at Grand Mercure Phuket Patong.

Grand Mercure Phuket Patong, Thailand.

SENSE OF DISCOVERY Experience authentic and elegant cultural heritage of Indonesia with batik painting. Guests can try this at the Grand Mercure Yogyakarta.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Grand Mercure Jakarta Kemayoran, Indonesia; Grand Mercure Phuket Patong, Thailand; Grand Mercure Zhengzhou West, China; Grand Mercure Mysore, India; Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire, Myanmar

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BR ANDS

Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort, Maldives.

Mercure Bangkok Sukhuvit 11, Thailand.

Mercure LOCALLY INSPIRED Each hotel has its own style and personality. Locally rooted, the design and decor of each hotel tells an authentic & inspiring story. Blending classic decoration with a modern twist or contemporary design & heritage, with a new bedding offer, Mercure hotels are a promise of an inspiring escape.

While every Mercure hotel is unique, all share the same passion for high quality services. So from the moment our guests step inside a Mercure—be it in the Maldives or in Bangkok—

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they are immersed in their destination. Mercure, Locally inspired hotels.

LOCAL WINE & BEVERAGE CONCEPT Offer of quality wines or beverage with a story to tell, locally produced or selectively distributed by demanding producers, at attractive prices anyway.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Mercure Maldives Kooddoo Resort, Maldives; Mercure Bangkok Makkasan, Thailand; Mercure Bangkok Sukhumvit 11, Thailand

BR ANDS

Tribe Perth, Australia.

Tribe Perth, Australia.

Tribe Tribe is a new kind of hotel. One that responds directly to the desires and aspirations of the modern traveller. A concept inspired by global journeys and an uncompromising vision to deliver a uniquely positioned, design driven hotel. A refreshing and disruptive brand, Tribe challenges the status quo with its edited hotel experience thatmakes it a leader in the design-led affordable luxury sector. Modern travellers, we made this hotel for you. Welcome to Tribe.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Tribe Perth, Australia

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HYDEPARADISO

FOLLOW

LEVEL 2, PEPPERS SOUL HOTEL 8 THE ESPLANADE, SURFERS PARADISE QUEENSLAND, 4217

BOOK A BOOTH

OCEANFRONT VIEWS, DINNER, DRINKS & DANCING.

H Y D E PA R A D I S O.C O M

T H E P L AC E T O B E S E E N , BY T H E S E A

ON THE MENU DOWN UNDER

ONE ROUTE TO UNCOVERING AUSTRALIA IS THROUGH ITS FOOD AND DRINK MENUS. REGARDLESS OF WHERE YOU ARE, WRITES LINDY ALEXANDER, YOU’LL ONLY GET A TRUE TASTE OF THIS DIVERSE COUNTRY WHEN DRINKING AND DINING.

Views to inspire from Mount Lofty House.

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Think of Australia and images of the Outback, Sydney Harbour and the Great Barrier Reef immediately spring to mind. Yet, spread across this great expanse of a nation is any number of opportunities for an unforgettable meal or drinks in settings that will remain wonderful memories after you've returned home. Whether it's a night of sipping champagne while overlooking Sydney, a must-visit corner of foodmad Melbourne or courses of artisanal creations in Barossa Valley, here is a sampling that no trip to Australia is complete without.

CHAMPAGNE BAR Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour The glittering lights and shimmering waters of Sydney are superbly framed by panoramic floor-toceiling windows at Sofitel’s Champagne Bar. Here you can savour the world’s finest champagne (this is the only spot in Australia serving Louis Roeder—the 2009 Philippe Stark Brut Nature). On Saturday nights the bar is the best spot to see fireworks on the harbour.

Louder than a champagne cork popping, but guaranteed to get your weekend started with a bang.

Be sure to order: Caviar to go with your champagne.

ATELIER BY SOFITEL Sofitel Sydney Darling Harbour A short walk from the State Theatre, Atelier is ideal for dinner before a show. The three interactive food stations draw on South of France flavours, such as the Rossini beef burger with foie gras and the delicately flavoured seafood bouillabaisse with tiger prawns, mussels and saffron aioli. With native ingredients, the menu also carries hints of indigenous Australia, with native ingredients. Be sure to order: Burger Rossini for beef and foie gras lovers.

THE TERNARY RESTAURANT & BAR Novotel Sydney Darling Harbour With its polished timber floorboards, light-filled dining room and pastel palette, The Ternary is Scandi-chic at its best. Pull up a seat at the bar for a cocktail unlike any other. The team of talented mixologists here each have a signature offering, but the Palpasa by Mitch is a standout—it’s short and sweet with a gin and pomegranate juice base and infused with fragrant lime and star anise. Be sure to order: Pulled pepper beef with tamarind sauce.

NEWMARKET RESTAURANT The William Inglis, MGallery The equine theme is undeniable at Newmarket Restaurant, which overlooks the beautiful grounds of Riverside Stables. But there’s no horsing around when it comes to the menu. Sunday afternoons mean live music in the verdant garden, and with specific glutenfree, vegetarian and children’s menus, everyone is welcome. Be sure to order: The light and delicious minute steak paired with some seafood.

FLOYD’S BAR, PRETTY BOY, GOLDIE CANTEEN Novotel Melbourne Central The executive chef at these three hip establishments is a rising star on the Australian food scene. Michael Smith is known for his creativity and his commitment to local and seasonal food. Be sure to order: Pork and veal meatballs with house-made pasta.

THE MUSE The Mitchelton Hotel Nagambie, MGallery Set on the banks of the Goulburn River in the Victorian countryside, The Muse is a restaurant renowned for paying tribute its fertile surroundings with its produce-driven menu. Summer on the terrace means indulging in wines from the estate’s extensive underground cellar, watching kangaroos and sampling dishes that highlight the region’s best flavours. Be sure to order: On this seasonal menu, try the Goulborn River Trout.

HARDY’S VERANDAH RESTAURANT (HVR) Mount Lofty House, MGallery A site for lavish parties in the 1850s, Mount Lofty House is an historic estate that has been renovated to revive its original glory. With unbeatable views over the lush Piccadilly Valley, the three-chef-hat restaurant boasts Adelaide’s largest whiskey collection and contemporary dishes that change daily.

Be sure to order: Do not miss the Wagyu brisket, a house speciality.

pineapple glaze, green pawpaw and Asian herbs is the go-to dish.

THE CLIVEDEN BAR & DINING Pullman Melbourne On The Park As one of East Melbourne’s newest bar and dining destinations, the Clivedon is a modern interpretation of the classic buffet, transforming into a coveted fresh seafood bar on weekends. The innovative bar also creates a bespoke gin featuring Mediterranean botanicals such as rosemary, oregano and bitter almond alongside native botanicals like lemon myrtle. Be sure to order: Throughout the week it’s difficult to pass up the Tasmanian wilderness, 28-day aged beef fillet with potatoes, Yarra valley greens and red wine jus.

THE CELLAR KITCHEN RESTAURANT Novotel Barossa Valley Resort One of the best ways to take in the beauty of South Australia’s Barossa Valley is at sunrise in a hot air balloon. Once your feet are back on terra firma, head to The Cellar Kitchen Restaurant that has partnered with Saskia Beer, an artisan food producer, cook and food educator. The result? Sweeping views of the Barossa and the region’s best produce on a plate. — Be sure to order: Think slow roast free range chicken and caramelized onions, or Adelaide Hills grass fed, dry aged beef.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: At the

Newmarket Restaurant; a pineapple ginger sour, Temple of Tastes; the Cellar Kitchen in Barossa Valley. OPPOSITE, CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Sydney's scenic

Champagne Bar; mixing drinks at The Ternary Bar; a produce-driven menu at The Muse; Hardy's Verandah Restaurant; at Hacienda Sydney; bouillabaisse at Atelier by Sofitel.

HACIENDA SYDNEY Pullman Quay Grand Sydney Harbour Named one of the seven most Instagrammable bars in the world, Hacienda is a playful step back in time to the grand plantation architecture of Cuba. The classic rum-based cocktails are punchy and fruitdriven. Be sure to order: Prawn skewers with sugarcane and coconut or black bean arancini.

TEMPLE OF TASTES RESTAURANT Pullman Palm Cove Sea Temple Resort & Spa There’s nothing quite like having a tropical cocktail amongst palm trees, salt water and sunshine.

Signature cocktails at this far north Queensland restaurant use locally sourced fruits, gin and smoked sugar. The result is a candied pineapple ginger sour that carries notes of incredible depth and provenance.

Be sure to order: Sesame crusted tuna. Enough said.

ALUCO RESTAURANT AND BAR Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa Overlooking a magnificent lagoon pool is the Aluco Restaurant and Bar, a relaxed restaurant within walking distance to secluded Four Mile Beach. Line caught fish from the nearby Great Barrier Reef features heavily on the seafood-inspired menu. For that special champagne dinner, book the poolside. Be sure to order: The crispy baby barramundi with

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Art Series-The Blackman, Melbourne, Australia.

Art Series ART Inspired, Creative, Refined, Personal & Engaging, Contemporary, Distinct.

Art Series-The Johnson, Brisbane, Australia.

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GETTING CREATIVE DOWN UNDER Inspired by and dedicated to Australian contemporary artists, each Art Series property offers a hotel experience a little extraordinary. Located in the hottest art and cultural hubs, the boutique hotels are currently found in Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

Each hotel takes design inspiration from the namesake artist. With

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original artworks and editions adorning the walls and halls, the multifaceted art inspired experience is complete with dedicated art channels, art libraries, art tours and art utensils on supply.

Boasting personalised service and sophisticated style, all suites showcase up to the minute comforts and technology with Art Series signature bedding to ensure the sweetest of sleeps. Experience an extraordinary stay with Art Series Hotels.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: Art Series-The Blackman, Melbourne, Australia; Art Series-The Fantauzzo, Brisbane, Australia

FV by Peppers, Australia.

Peppers TICKET TO RIDE Indulgent, Rejuvenating, Flexible, Memorable.

SPECTACULAR GETAWAYS The Peppers brand has become synonymous with a sense of refined indulgence, an attention to detail and excellent personal service. Explore an irresistible, intriguing and indulgent range of escapes selectively located in some of Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia’s most spectacular destinations. From country estates to relaxing beachside resorts, from world-class golf resorts to romantic vineyard retreats, Peppers combines personal and friendly services with exceptional food and wine.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: FV by Peppers, Australia; Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise, Australia

Peppers Soul Surfers Paradise, Australia.

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Mantra on Salt Beach, Australia.

Mantra SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE Personal, Casual, Trustworthy, Relaxed FEELING RIGHT AT HOME Whether you’re travelling on business or relaxing with family, you will feel right at home with Mantra. With hotels, resorts and self-contained apartments on the coast and in the city, you will always find the perfect space in the ideal place. Across Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, whether you want less hassle on business trips or more good times on holiday, Mantra makes room for you.

Mantra Mooloolaba Beach, Australia.

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SOME OF OUR FINEST: Mantra on Salt Beach, Australia; Mantra South Bank, Brisbane, Australia; Mantra Lake Tekapo, New Zealand

BreakFree Moroccan, Australia.

BreakFree ONLY THE GREAT Great value.

Great locations. Great breaks.

LOCATION IS ALL Families, groups, couples, from Australia or anywhere in the world, recognise the style and promise of a BreakFree offer. For them, their stay is all about the experience of the location and the comfortable, unpretentious

accommodation and relaxed service they enjoy. Spacious, self-contained apartment accommodation combines value with access to the best beaches, city highlights and holiday attractions, making them ideal for leisure seekers and corporate travellers alike.

BreakFree on George, Australia.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: BreakFree Moroccan, Australia; BreakFree on George, Australia

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THE NEXT BEACH LONG THE NEXT GREAT ISLAND, THESE DAYS PHU QUOC REALLY IS ENTERING THE MAINSTREAM—AT ITS OWN PACE.

BY RON GLUCKMAN

THING

High above the waters surrounding Phu Quoc.

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A

S THE CABLE CAR slowly soars above Pineapple Island, the huge fishing fleet of Phu Quoc comes into view, hundreds of idyllic boats swaying in a series of stunning azure coves, the entire scene drenched by a golden tropical sunset.

These squid boats from Vietnam’s southernmost island are visible every night, green lights blazing on the horizon to illuminate their way to the evening catch. For decades, this has been the most captivating sight in Phu Quoc, aside from the endless stretches of mostly deserted, sparkling white sand.

Then, the world’s longest cable car started service, above the southernmost point of Phu Quoc, offering scenic rides to a string of islands in a gorgeous green wilderness. The cable car not only put Phu Quoc in the famed Guinness World Records book, but also signaled the seriousness of investment pouring into this Rich Land, as Phu Quoc translates.

For more than a decade, Phu Quoc has been touted around the region as the new Phuket. The comparison is apt, if only in scale: Phu Quoc is roughly the same size Thailand’s world-renowned island getaway. Where Phu Quoc could always boast of an abundance of natural beauty, phenomenal beaches and scrumptious seafood, Vietnam has taken a considerably slower tact in developing its own island gem.

“I wanted to come visit five years ago,” says Lon, a young entrepreneur from Hanoi who I met one night.

“But it was just so difficult to get flights.” Back then, the only option besides boats, was flying first to Ho Chi Minh, the only city with air connection to the island. He said it was easier to travel to Singapore or Thailand. “We were a family, and it was too much trouble.”

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, according to Stefano Cazzola, an Italian who has been visiting Phu Quoc since the 1990s. His Asco Lotus travel company specializes in Southeast Asia, and he’s seen boom times for tourism from Thailand to Cambodia, even little Laos.

“Phu Quoc has gone slowly,” he concedes, “but it remains as beautiful as in the old days. There isn’t another place like this in Southeast Asia, an island with beaches like this, so beautiful and unspoiled. And now, with the airport and visa on arrival, Phu Quoc is going to take off. I have no doubt.” That’s never been more true, now that Air Asia has four weekly flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phu Quoc.

FORMERLY A PLACE OF EXILE, and a prison, Phu Quoc was targeted as a holiday destination decades ago. In 2004, Vietnam designated it as a center of international tourism, and launched plans for an international airport. That opened in 2012, but the innovative introduction of visa-free travel didn’t ramp up visitation, since there were, and still are few overseas connections.

Yet the slower pace has allowed ample time for planning, and preservation. Unlike the pell-mell development of Phuket, Phu Quoc still feels like an alluring tropical getaway, with its laid back and relaxing atmosphere. Phu Quoc National Park contributes 314 square kilometers of protected land with hundreds of plant species (dozens of them rare and endangered), which is more than half the area of Kien Giang reserve, a unesco World Biosphere Reserve.

The cable car-line stretches nearly eight kilometers, and provides a scenic view of not only of the greenery, but another sight less commonly seen on Phu Quoc until recently: a long stretch of upmarket beachside resorts.

Long established on the backpack circuit, these new

Poolside at Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc.

generation of resorts are pushing Phu Quoc in many new directions, as a family destination, and also for high-end luxury holidays. One of the biggest developments is on the western side of the island. This is where most of the older Phu Quoc resorts are scattered along the idyllic 20-kilometer Long Beach.

South of this beach, a new area of luxury resorts includes a sailing club that opened in November, and the island debut of famed designer Ashley Sutton. An Australian acclaimed for his inventive bars like Iron Balls Distillery and Maggie Choo in Bangkok, and Ophelia and the new Dragonfly in Hong Kong. For Phu Quoc he created Ink 360, a rooftop bar with sunset views and fantastic locally inspired octopus theme.

One of the most exciting new properties is Premier Village Phu Quoc (accorhotels.com), an all pool villa resort at the southern end of the island, not far from the cable car. The 217 luxurious villas feature big deck, living room and dining room, plus kitchenette, with gorgeous views of beaches and seaside boulders. While the resort comes with all the modern amenities and services any

traveler could ask for, the setting is what truly sets it apart. Taking a page from the natural beauty of the island, Premier Village is surrounded by lush tropical forests and faces a seascape that boasts crystal clear waters and beaches that are really pristine stretches of white sand.

The resort joins two other Accor properties: Novotel Phu Quoc Resort (accorhotels.com) in the center of the island and close to the airport, and colonial-themed La Veranda Phu Quoc, a 70-room boutique in the M Gallery Collection, that was one of the first to bring an upscale experience to the island on the very north side. This trio makes certain that there is a resort for every type of traveler, whether it’s a family vacation or a short, romantic getaway.

In the pipeline are two other properties on the island.

Designed in a modern, airy style, the Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc arrives on the scene with 282 rooms and 17 suites, plus 325 rooms and four two-bedroom suites in a separate condotel. Twenty-five minutes from the airport, there are also 79 private pool villas. The TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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A colourful escape.

Mövenpick will cater to families with three swimming pools, two separate kids’ pools, and a kid and teens club.

Pullman Phu Quoc Beach Resort is located on the west side of the island just 20 minutes from the international airport. With 332 rooms designed with a colourful and modern aesthetic, each with a sea view, the resort is geared towards its beach and ocean front. Be sure to check out the 40 deluxe executive villas—each has a semi-private pool. Among the drinking and dining options are a sunset bar, a grill and a welcoming area around the main pool.

Still, around Phu Quoc, the main attractions aside from simply relaxing include visiting a bee farm, pepper plantation and fish sauce factories. The local Kampot pepper used to be world famous, and is in the midst of a revival on the mainland in Cambodia. Vietnamese still flock to Phu Quoc in droves to tour factories producing the pungent fish sauce, a mainstay in Vietnamese cooking.

While it may not be to everyone’s liking, consider that it’s the local equivalent of wine tasting in France.

But it’s still easy, not to mention delightful to get lost on Phu Quoc.

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A suite view at Pullman Phu Quoc.

BR ANDS

Ibis Makassar City Center, Indonesia.

Ibis VIBRANT DESIGNS ibis embodies forward-looking modern design: both trendsetting and comfortable with a real feeling of home way from home.

Each hotel has its own character to create vibrant and fulfilling guest experiences.

A BRAND NEW FLEXIBLE COLLECTION OF VIBRANT SOCIAL SPACES Flexibility through different designs and flexibility in the layout. Welcome areas and public spaces are now flexible, contemporary and cosy spaces with a good-natured and warm atmosphere.

Revolutionary desk-free mobile check-in.

THE BEDROOM COLLECTION WITH SWEET BED™ BY IBIS 4 new room designs available worldwide, modern, connected & calm equipped with a unique, innovative and modern bedding, the Sweet Bed™ by ibis.

Ibis Singapore on Bencoolen, Singapore.

MISSION 15’ Any problem? We have the solution. Smile Team to the rescue! We’re on hand 24/7 to help you find your smile in 15 minutes flat.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: ibis Adelaide, Australia; ibis Bali Legian Street, Indonesia

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MAGICAL MYANMAR

DISCOVERING THE LAND OF THE GOLDEN PAGODAS IS A STEP BACK TO ANOTHER ERA IN ASIA, BUT ALSO A GLIMPSE OF WHERE THE NATION IS HEADED IN THE COMING YEARS.

by rachna sachasinh

Ballooning above the ancient town of Bagan.

F R O M TO P L E F T : C O U RT ESY O F R A N G O O N T E A H O U S E ; JAS O N GA L L A N T / G E T T Y I M AG ES .

O P P O S I T E : BA R C R O F T M E D I A / C O N T R I B U TO R / G E T T Y I M AG ES

A pour at the Rangoon Tea House.

AFTER TOUCHING DOWN IN YANGON, I head straight to the spiritual centre of Myanmar, Shwedagon Pagoda. “A golden house will cast a spell,” a fortuneteller tells me as he adjusts his spectacles and presses his nose toward my palm. We sit at the base of the 105-meter golden stupa. Along the sidewalks, men in traditional checkered longyis go about their business with swagger, cranking ancient hand-powered sugarcane juicers, bundling betel leaf concoctions, chopping coconuts. Graceful women in colourful printed blouses and longyis, their faces painted with thanaka, sell clothes and cheap electronic gadgets.

This city boasts the largest collection of colonial era buildings in Southeast Asia. A walking tour by Yangon Heritage Trust (yangonheritagetrust.org) takes me past the Port Authority, the High Court and grand central train station. Buddhist pagodas, Chinese and Hindu temples, churches, mosques and synagogues pop up at every turn, revealing the city’s multicultural vibe.

Myanm/art (myanmartevolution.com), offers curated tours of the vibrant art scene, one fuelled by a high regard for literature.

Yangon street food is a testament to its many roots, and I enlist Marc Shortt, founder of Sa Ba Street Food Tours (sabastreetfoodtours.com), to show me the ropes. We crisscross central Yangon in search of lan ta ye moh, or gangster snack, which consists of a South Indian dosa topped with local fresh vegetables and chickpeas. Steamed dumplings in Chinatown included pheto si kyet, or duck dumplings drizzled with spicy garlic oil, a Shan spin on a traditional Chinese recipe. We fill our bellies on mohinga, a fish-and-noodle soup thickened with roasted rice and chickpeas.

Laphet thoke, a fermented tea-leaf salad mixed with crunchy split beans, cilantro and chillies, is a piquant Burmese invention. The thoke repertoire includes rousing varieties, including lemon, peanut, ginger and pennywort. “Many vendors don’t realize how important they are to the character of the city,” Shortt tells me.

At upmarket tea houses like Rangoon Tea House (77-79 Pansodan Street), artists, journalists, shopkeepers, businessmen and tourists

Shwedagon Pagoda bathed in beautiful light.

chat over the hiss and gurgle of the espresso machines and snack on plates of fritters and curry. At Root (Bo Myat Htun Street, lower block) I dine on hearty beef stews and grilled meats that are the backbone of ethnic Wa cuisine from Myanmar’s northern hinterland.

Café Salween (G15, Maha Bandola Road) and Bodhi Nava (17 Bahan Street 2) quench my caffeine cravings and signal the city’s growing affection for artisanal coffee.

When it is time to shop, I head for Bogyoke Aung Sung Market (Bogyoke Road, Latha), a maze-like indoor bazaar packed with antiques, textiles and handicrafts, including made-toorder longyi tailors. At Hla Day (hladaymyanmar.com), a social enterprise, I pick up fabulous folk art and village crafts.

And I peruse the head spinning gold pieces at Turquoise Mountain (turquoisemountain.org/ myanmar), a British foundation that runs an ethical studio where traditional toil.

A WOODEN SKIFF FERRIES me across Inle Lake’s serene expanse in the northeastern Shan State known for its staggering beauty and slow-life mindset. Rugged mountains crowned with gold-tipped pagodas shimmers in the distance, swathes of brilliant green paddies and floating gardens dot the shoreline. Inthar fishermen row their wooden canoes standing up while balancing long conical basket traps, an iconic image of life on the lake.

Each day on the lake is better than the last.

A morning spent in Inle Treasure’s (Taunngyi, TR AV EL ANDLEISURE ASIA .COM / JUNE 2019

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Silhouette Man Fishing Net On Lake At Sunset.

95-9/428371003) an antique wood-framed workshop, observing women extract fine filaments from lotus stems and weave them into luscious silk textiles; an afternoon gleaning vegetables from floating gardens and learning to steam fish in banana leaves, mold potato rice balls and chop savory tomato salad, the mainstays of Inthar cuisine; a day exploring the abandoned pagodas at Indien, a lost settlement sequestered nearly five kilometers down a hidden channel. A timeless stroll down Nyaung Shwe’s weathered lanes, the gateway city to Inle Lake, reveals a bustling trading town with a frontier spirit and plenty of tidy teashops serving toothsome Shan and Indian specialties.

I seek out the “five day market,” a local market that rotates among five villages on the lake. Villagers and townsfolk travel by boat, anchoring near shore in the biggest boat pile up I’ve ever seen. Ethnic Pa-O women in red plaid headscarves, Padaung and Inthar villagers do brisk business selling fresh vegetables, fruit, handicrafts, silks, amulets, farm implements and live animals.

To the north, Inle Lake’s shores fold into a gently rolling landscape dotted with magical valleys. I find myself sipping Pinot Noir at Red Mountain Estate (redmountain-estate.com) and trekking to scenic coffee plantations hanging in the clouds. I feel like I’ve stumbled into a slice of Myanmar that was no different ten, twenty or perhaps even a hundred years ago.

AT SUNRISE, I climb aboard one of Balloons Over Bagan’s (balloonsoverbagan.com) rigs and drift across the dusty red plains sprinkled with golden pagodas. In the eleventh century, King Anawaratha, the first monarch to rule under the Pagan dynasty, jump started a 300-year building spree to sanctify the kingdom’s conversion to Buddhism. Over the next two centuries, Anawaratha’s heirs erected more than 10,000 pagodas across these 104 square kilometers, with as many as 2,200 still standing. Bagan is undoubtedly the poster child of “the land of pagodas.”

Coasting at cloud level may be the best way to soak in Bagan’s transcendental landscape, although being ferried from temple to temple by horse cart isn’t bad either. Up close, Bagan’s pagodas range from hulking Ananda complex, with symmetrical prayer halls and iridescent golden spires to quaint brick stupas, often with horses grazing nearby and nimble hawkers selling wooden puppets dressed in silks, painted umbrellas, colourful bags and longyis.

I also visit the city’s excellent artisan workshops, where lacquer ware is an institution. At Ever Stand (everstandlacquerware.com), a family-run operation, artisans demonstrated the process, molding coiled bamboo and horsehair and coating it with thit-si tree resin and finally polishing it with wood ash. Traditionally, lacquer masters are men, but Black Elephant (blackelephantlacquer.com) is one of the few spots run by women. MBoutik (Anawratha Rd., Nyaung-U), a social enterprise works with village-based women’s cooperatives, producing fabulous handicrafts, including rattan baskets and rugs, hand-woven cottons and clothing, toys and gorgeous stone jewelry.

Although the Irrawaddy River and a ribbon of alluvial farmland marks Bagan’s western boundary, the town falls within the rain shadow of Myanmar’s dry zone, endowing the landscape with a nostalgic, sepia-tinged aura.

Bagan is crisscrossed with meandering dirt paths that connect homes and lead to

F R O M L E F T : G U Y B R OW N / A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO ; DA N I S H M U N JA L / E Y E E M / G E T T Y I M AG ES .

O P P O S I T E F R O M L E F T : M J P H OTO G R A P H Y / A L A M Y STO C K P H OTO

Glimpses of the Irrawaddy dolphins.

The Red Mountain Estate Vineyard.

Sweeping views at Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min.

neighbourhood pagodas. At dusk, monks chant and locals arrive to light candles and incense. In these hidden corners, Bagan glistens like gold.

THE RHYTHMIC POUNDING of hammers and swirling flecks of gold dust invoke a magical scene as I stroll through a knot of narrow alleys in Mandalay’s old quarter. I stumble into a neighbourhood filled with dozens of home-based workshops, where muscular men hammer pebble-sized pieces of gold into thin sheets of gold leaf. This two-block area, I learn, supplied the nation with most of the gold leaf for its golden pagodas. Mandalay may be known for its dust and din, but this city is surprisingly charming.

Countless local bazaars, including the mind-boggling Zey Cho Market, sell a hodgepodge of exotic gems, jewelry, handicrafts, spices from the far corners of the nation. At Mahar Aung Myay’s centuries-old jade market, above-board and bootleg traders and buyers haggle over the precious gems.

My favourite bazaar is an hour away in Amarapura. Most head to the former royal city to walk across U Bein, the world’s oldest and longest teak bridge, but I ogle its exquisite silk and brocade markets. In cozy, home-based workshops, expert weavers turn out stunning luntaya acheik or the 100-shuttle weave, longyis, a coveted pattern worn for important social and ceremonial rituals.

Local teahouses—a Mandalay institution—also pay tribute to the city’s multiculturalism. Hankering for a good espresso or fresh juice? Seek out the cool colonial interiors of Classic City Tea Saloon or the contemporary digs at Tea Generation.

In Mandalay, the Irrawaddy steals my heart. I spend hours on the waterfront watching dockworkers haul fish, rice, sugarcane, bricks, ceramics and even TVs on and off old-fashioned wooden barges. An excursion with Living Irrawaddy (burmadolphins.com) brings me up close with the river’s endangered dolphins. By dusk, the last rays of sunlight cast a golden light. Dolphins, boats, nets

and pagodas shimmer on the river, and finally, I feel part of “The Land of Golden Pagodas.”

As my trip draws to an end, I can’t help but wonder what lies in store for this embattled nation and its creative, resilient people. When it’s time to leave, I don’t want to go. The fortuneteller’s premonition came true. I find myself in a house of gold and am spellbound.

WHERE TO STAY Pullman Yangon Centrepoint In the heart of the colonial quarter, with stunning views of Sule Pagoda’s golden paya and Maha Bandola Park. accorhotels.com; rooms from US$100.

Grand Mercure Yangon Golden Empire This 175-room hotel keys its design on local culture—look no further than the handpainted ceiling inspired by the region’s gems. accorhotels.com; rooms from US$96.

Novotel Yangon Max Close to all things cultural, the hotel uses contemporary design and modern accessories to provide guests with a break

from the city outside. accorhotels.com; rooms from US$99.

Sofitel Inle Lake Myat Min A dreamy boutique resort surrounded by rice paddies and floating gardens, all with lakefront access. accorhotels.com; luxury room with breakfast US$160.

Mercure Mandalay Hill Resort The gilded teakwood suites here are the place to stay in Mandalay. Perched at the base of the 230meter Mandalay Hill, the atmospheric grounds and rooms offer a birds-eye view of the temple dotted landscape and the slow-moving Irrawaddy. accorhotels.com; rooms from US$122.

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ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai, Thailand.

ibis Styles Hobart, Australia.

Ibis Styles MULTIPLE STYLES & STORYTELLING DESIGN Each hotel has a story to tell that is spread over the client experience to increase brand preference.

FAMILY OFFER Kids corner, suited menus, puericulture equipment, family rooms, etc.

SWEET BED BY IBIS STYLES The best sleeping experience on the market in terms of technology, design, product & price/quality ratio.

HEARTISTS OF THE HAPPY MOOD ibis Styles’ promise is to anticipate guests’ needs and to create moments of unexpected joy that will feed their happy mood.

SOME OF OUR FINEST: ibis Styles Bali Petitenget, Indonesia; ibis Styles Hobart, Australia; ibis Styles Bangkok Khaosan Viengtai, Thailand

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